The path that leads to light
by mtranc3
Summary: A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village, and a chain of events is set in motion.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary: **A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have only seen a few episodes, and read up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether. Also, the fic is written in the **style of the anime.**  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ This chapter features an obligatory introduction of a New and Mysterious character, bad!humor slapstic comedy, and a death threat (ha! You didn't think it would all be fun and games, did ya?)  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**  
Chapter 1: **"Enter Mysterious Ninja!Boy - What? Gaara has a new head accessory?"

"Ugh"

Lee flinched as he tried to stand up. The blow was too strong and hit him right on his midline, and even breathing seemed difficult.

_Gai-sensei i've dissapointed you..._

He finally stood up and tried to look at his opponent. The guy looked so calm and composed, almost like a statue.

_I will beat him with every last ounce of strength that i have left...!_

Lee was ready to charge at the Sand boy yet once more, when a hand appeared out of nowhere blocking his body. He turned half expecting to find a teacher, but it was a boy who had impudently gotten in the way. He was wearing black clothes all over, gazes around his arms and legs, and a black turban on his head. His skin was unearthly pale, and his dark eyes were set on Gaara, their expression unreadable.

"I wish to fight with you" said the mysterious boy completely focused on Gaara, who had now a renewed interest on the happenings inside the dojo.

Lee was even angrier than before, this boy made it look as if he had already lost to the Sand genin, when the fight wasn't even over.

"Get out of the way, this guy is mine. I said i'll fight him, and i'll finnish the fight!" The boy turned and looked at Lee, an empty look on his face.

"You are too weak to fight him, and you are already tired". He said it as if he was simply stating a fact, and what made Lee even more frustrated was that he knew the boy was right.

"What are you talking about -"

"I'll fight you" Gaara suddenly exclaimed. Everybody turned to look at him; he was looking at the newcomer with a glint in his eyes that could have been translated as enthusiasm.

Lee turned to Gaara almost pleedingly, but he decided to let this go with as much dignity as he could master. He thought of his sensei, he thought of Sakura-chan watching, and he finally spoke:

"Alright, i will let it go, just this once, but it's not over between you and me Gaara." He retreated to a corner, too shameful to even join his teamates. Ten Ten and Shino looked sympathetically, but understood that Lee probably wanted to be left on his own for a while.

As the newcomer approached Gaara to commence the fight, Sakura watched wondering what kind of person would willingly go against Gaara after seeing what he did to Rock Lee. From his expression, Sakura guessed that Sasuke was thinking the same thing, whereas, Naruto had squinted his eyes probably thinking that the guy was a joke. Sakura looked closely as the mysterious boy moved to initiate his attack.

"What? He's using kunais?" Naruto wondered aloud, because this attack was obviously hopeless against Gaara.

But, as the boy threw the kunais, and they were quite a few, he shot up in the air himself, rolling like a wheel, and with his feet started hitting the kunais with amazing speed, so that they ended up going into different directions, like a mass of shooting stars. Gaara's sand barriers rose simultaneously in many different places in order to block the kunais, but the boy kept rolling anfd throwing them back at Gaara, his movements too fast to be seen, until they were both enveloped in a big cloud of dust, nobody being able to see what was happening. More kunais were thrown at lightning speed, but suddenly stopped, the boy nowhere to be seen.

Gaara halted his sand barriers in search of his attacker, and when the dust subsided, the audience was greeted with a very comic scene;

The boy was was tiptoing with one leg on Gaara's head, looking at him from above. Some people giggled nervously, the rest were stunned. Sasuke had, however, understood;

_He threw the kunais so that he could divert the sand away from Gaara, not giving him enough time to think between the attacks..._

The instant Gaara realized what had happened, two giant arms of sand raised to plummel the boy on top of his head, but he jumped before they could crach him, and the sand dissolved around his opponent. Gaara was getting impatient and blasted a wave of sand at the other ninja, who promptly dodged it as if he had wings on his feet, and landed a few meters away. He then took more kunais out of his pouch and this time threw them directly on Gaara at an incredible speed. The Sand shinobi had to create a semi-circle of sand to protect himself, and the boy lost no time; he bolted forward and used the sand as stepping, he escalated and with a sommersault, landed behind Gaara, his motions so fast that in the haze of the attack, nobody understood what was happening. As he landed, he covered Gaara's eyes with his hands,

"Boo."

Sand errupted from everywhere, it seemed to come out of the ground, rising to the ceiling, so sharply that it would slice anyone in its way. Gaara was very angry indeed. Hinata gasped half expecting the new boy to be dead after such an attack. Gaara had obviously more tricks in his pockets to unveil. But when the sand subsided, there was no blood, no body, no boy.

"Eep!" Naruto almost tripped over at his surprise. The boy had not dissappeared into thin air, but was rolled in a ball between Gaara's legs, and was slowly coming out. Everybody cringed thinking that the Sand genin would really kill him after that, but Gaara simply stared taken aback. The newcomer didn't rush off either, he just stood up facing Gaara, with the same unreadable expression.

_He really is making fun of me._ Gaara thought, but he didn't know what to make of this boy. His attacks were not special, certainly not intending to hurt, but he just couldn't get through to him.

Finally, the boy spoke, "I thought this was a training fight before the exam, what were you thinking making an attack like that? That was intended to kill!"

"So you can't handle it?" Gaara almost sneered.

"I hate to remind you, but your attack barely touched me", and with that the boy shot to the air, taking out three kunais; holding two in his hands and one with his teeth, and charged at Gaara again. Sand came out from everywhere, surrounding Gaara all around, but the other ninja was already inside his protective sphere, hitting him from behind, twice between the shoulderblades, and once in his right side. Again it was so fast, that the only thing that was seen was Gaara's stunned expression, as people slowly understood what had happened. The Sand genin could not react, his defeat sinking in, surprised at himself, even at that moment, when everything was over.

_It doesn't hurt..._

The boy moved from behind Gaara and stood in front of his opponent, when Gaara noticed something in his hands.

_The kunais!_

Realization sunk in. Gaara didn't feel pain because the boy had struck him with his hands, not the weapons.

"If i had hit you in those points with these, you wouldn't be alive right now. But i, unlike you, don't intend to kill. Not yet, at least". With that the boy turned to leave, an unmistakable dismissive look on his eyes.

"Wait." Gaara said. "The next time we meet, you'll wish you had killed me today, i promise you this". He tried to look as cool as ever, but he couldn't help the venom in his voice dripping onto every word he said.

The boy simply stared at him, and then turned to make his exit, leaving everybody in shock at what had actually perspired in the room. They realized that it wasn't even about genins showing off, or testing their abilities. It was about making enemies, for life.

The boy walked through the stunned group of students, and passed between Sakura and Sasuke, who tilted to make room. Sasuke was facing straight ahead, looking pensive, but as the ninja walked by, he rotated his left right eye to look at him, only to find the ninja looking right back as he was passing by. It was only for a second, but it gave Sasuke a very bad feeling.

_Who is that guy...?_

**TBC**


	2. Interlude

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R**  
Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings:** The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ This chapter, which is not really a chapter, features an interlude in the flow of the main story, as we're transfered one year back. Somebody is looking for someone... but don't get impatient, all will be revealed in time.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Interlude**

- One year ago -

A soft afternoon light illuminated a round clearing inside the thick forrect. It was eerrily quiet save from the rustle of the leaves, and the occassional bird flying from tree to tree. A shadow fell on the clearing as a lone figure jumped from a branch and landed soundlessly on the ground. The ring on his finger caught and reflected a sunray, and gave off small sparkles of light. The stranger looked around him, he seemed to be considering something. He then, bend down and started examining the ground, as if he was tracking something. Noticing something on the ground at the outermost edge of the clearing, where the light was dimmer and the trees where beggining to thicken, he touched the dirt there, and rose, an amused sneer on his face,

"The hunter always gives his prey a headstart".

He then jumped again on a tree, and left the claring as quietly as he came.

- End of interlude -

**  
TBC**


	3. Chapter 2

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ This chapter: a ninja slash snake slash lizard slash demon, makes his appearence, Sasuke goes down, Sakura screams a lot, and Naruto is unconscious for the most part. I also wanted to note that the story has quite a few clicks, however, no review so far. If you've read and have something to say about it, be it good or bad, then please do. **Feedback and constructive critisism **is always welcomed. Thanks!  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 2:** The second task turns into bloodshed. Who is Orochimaru?

Despite the occassional arguing and fighting springing up, all teams had to eventually get serious for the begginning of the Chuunin examination. The first task (a quiz of sorts) came and gone with those who passed making their way into a forrest for the beginning of the second task (a survival game aiming in the aquisition of 2 scrolls). The mysterious boy by some clouded bend of the regulations was allowed to enter the competition by himself, without belonging to a team, although nobody saw how it'd be possible for him to manage and collect the scrolls.

A sudden wave of apprehension dawned on Anko as she supervised the teams entering the forrest. Inwardly, she was always anxious about the partcipants even though she might show otherwise. But that wasn't the source of her unease; the boy with the black turban was now entering the forrest, distancing himself from the other teams. The Hokage had earlier held a conference with the exam organizers, and the leaders of each team, to personnally ask for the boy to be granted permmitance to the exam. He didn't reveal his reasons, and being the Hokage his reasons must have been good enough, still, the instructors were worried for the safety of the boy should he enter all by himself. Finally, most of the Konoha village instructors agreed, and with the Sandaime's vote being stronger, the voting for the boy's admittance was positive, and he was allowed to partcipate in the first task. He had come through, so he was allowed to go on. Anko herself voted for the boy, because she trusted the Hokage above all. Even so, she couldn't help feeling a knot in her stomach thinking of what lay ahead on the second task, no matter how talented that boy might be. All she could do was hope that everything would turn out alright.

Inside the forrest, team 7 wasn't so optimistic about the outcome of the second task; they had encoutered the team from the Sound village, and had engaged in a battle that had left them in a very bad condition, and their spirits were in no better shape either. Naruto was whining and cursing how the other teams must have gotten much further than them, and that he was already tired and hungry. Sakura was pretty shaken up because during the fight with the Sound genins she had to sacrifice her beautiful hair to get off a tough grip. She was holding on quite well all things considered, not wanting to bring the others down, and especially Sasuke who looked as if he was going on a tiny thread of patience. It was then, when a strange creature suddenly made its appearence. It had a neck like a snake's, and a tongue of a lizzard, and it was moving very fast. The genins prepared for an attack, when the grotesque head spoke - it was a ninja after all -

"Where is he? I've searched all the other teams, don't you dare hide him from me!"

"Who the hell are you, you freak!" Yelled Naruto as he charged towards the creepy ninja, multiplying himself into dozens of shadow doppelgangers. But before he even had the chance to strike a blow, the ninja turned and blasted onto the real Naruto, leaving him unconscious.

_How did he know which was the real one? _Sasuke pondered, albeit a little panicky, before he started performing the jutsu for the fire wave technique. The demon-like head turned, and with a manic laughter moved towards Sasuke this time.

"You actually think you can hurt me with this?"

Sasuke was taken aback, the ninja had emerged from the flames unscathed, laughing condenscedingly at him.

"Reveal his presence, unless you want to die!"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura screamed hysterically, the ninja's expression was extremely unnerving. However, he ignored her, and approached Sasuke slowly and purposefully. But the genin had already invoked the sharingan, getting ready for whatever attack the creature might unleash.

"I didn't expect anything less of you, Uchiha Sasuke"

Sasuke's eyes widened in suprise as the serpent-like ninja moved in the speed of lighting and bit him hard on his neck. A stabbing pain entered his head, pain like he'd never known before, and he could feel he was loosing his hold on consciousness second by second. The snake's words echoed around him before he completely blacked out;

"This is a little reminder of our meeting, Uchiha Sasuke. I hope it will teach you not to hide things from me in the future, let alone attempting to fight me, you insolent boy...". The ninja's insane laughter, mixed with Sakura's scream, rose in the air above them.

----

Up on the trees, hidden by the thick branches, the boy with the black turban sat, and watched the scene unfolding beneath him. When the snake ninja bit that boy, he flinched and tightened his grip on the branch, because he knew it was all his fault and that he couldn't do anything about it.

_I'll never go back_ he thought and gripped the branch tighter, because despite dreading being found by the ninja, he couldn't stand being the reason for what was happening to that innocent team. The girl's scream peirced the air, as the lizard man dissapeared.

_Damn you, Orochimaru! _ he spat, and moved further back, making sure the leaves obscured him completely. He waited, not even breathing, to make sure Orochimaru had really left, and watched as the girl dashed to the boy who was lying down, lapsing in and out of consciousness, convulsing from the force of the pain, his body jerking uncontrollably. The pink haired girl was trying to hold him, crying and screaming for help.

_I'd better go and help her _he thought, and swiftly reached the ground.

Sakura turned at the noise, her eyes red from crying, her lips trembling. She couldn't bear watching Sasuke falling apart, having no idea what happened, and how he could be helped, or if he could be helped at all. Strange tribal markings were appearing all over his body, as if they were burned to the skin, while he writhed, and jerked like a marionette.

"Get out of the way, you could get hurt"

Sakura did as she was told, just because she felt so helpless at that moment, and any kind of intervention was welcomed. The boy knelt down and grabbed Sasuke's shoulders trying to constrict his violent jerks. Sasuke yelped and arched, the pain stipped him of his own existance. His nails scratched the other boys forearms trying to free himsef, but the boy only held tighter; he knew this kind of pain, it was unbearable.

Sasuke eventually quited down, his breath evened, and he fell into some sort of trance. The boy laid him on the ground, he felt very tired, and his arms were sore. Sakura who kept a small distance the whole time, approached them hesitantly.

"What's happened to him!" Her voice was a step from being hysterical.

"I - I don't know..." The boy turned and looked wearily at her.

"Is he sleeping now? Will he be okay?" She started panicking and looked around as if something would come to their rescue. Naruto was still knocked out cold on the ground. Suddenly Sasuke's breathing became hitched and his head jerked right and left.

"Damn"

"What's happening? Sasuke!" Sakura tried as if to wake him up, but the boy gently removed her.

"Stay back, i'll try something." He knelt again beside Sasuke and stretched his hands, palms down, above Sasuke's body. He hovered like this for a moment, and the Sakura saw it: energy flew from the boy to Sasuke, covering them both in a blue-white spectral light.

_His chakra is so strong... how can it be...? _Sakura watched as the boy spread his energy all over Sasuke's body. When his hands passed over Sasuke's face, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he gasped as if he was chocking. He looked at the boy with wide eyes for a second, and then his eyes closed again. The boy removed his hands, the light around them slowly subsiding, and he passed out.

Sakura run up to them. Sasuke's breathing was even and calm, and she was certain he was asleep this time. The boy had fallen beside him, probably from exhaustion, bacause little beads of sweat were decorating his forehead. Sakura's heart clenched for a second - she really hoped he would be alright. Then she turned and looked at Naruto - still unconscious.

_Hn, so much for male endurance. _She sighed, and sat down, three bodies around her, while the sun set, marking the end of the first day of the second task.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 3

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ Chapter three: The chuunin examination is over, a dubius surprise awaits team 7, and we finally find out the Mysterious!Boy's name! I couldn't call him 'mysterious boy' forever, could i? **Also**, if you've read the story thus far, it means that either you like it, or that you don't really like it, but for some masochistic reason, you keep reading it. Whatever the case is, please share your thoughts; reviews and constructive critisism are always welcomed!  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 3:** Surprise! Team 7 acquires a new member.

As soon as he woke up, the mysterious boy disappeared. Sakura wanted to offer him their scroll in thanks, even though she knew he wouldn't have taken it. She told Naruto what had happened when he came to it, and he snatched the scroll from her, saying that nothing would rob him off the opportunity of becoming a chuunin. However, he did feel a bit guilty when he went to check on Sasuke; he still had the markings Sakura described, but otherwise he seemed to be asleep.

Sasuke turned out okay eventually, and the team managed to complete the second task. By the time the third task was about to commence, the marks had completely worn off. Kakashi explained that the mark on Sasuke's neck was actually a cursed seal, and that with it came a great power, that was as lethal as it was potent, and that it would be up to Sasuke to learn how to control it. The juunin also revealed that Sasuke would be able to use chidori in the expense of his energy, and also, that Konoha ANBU members were in search of the culprit, one Orochimaru. However, Sasuke had a nagging suspicion that they had not yet seen the end of it.

The third task was one-to-one battle between the participating members. Sasuke had fought Neji, a boy with byakugan eyes, able to see through his opponent, a talent as useful and threatening as the sharingan, and had won, albeit with much difficulty. Sakura had fought Ino from Team 10, but the two girls were equally matched, and knocked eachother out, in an exhausting battle of female cunningness. Naruto had won against Rock Lee of all people, and there was no end to his blabbing, as he was thrilled beyond imagination. However, the decision to grant a ninja with the chuunin status, ultimately laid in the Hokage's hands, who eventually decided that Naruto and Sasuke, needed to work more in order to become chuunins, and that they were welcomed to try again in two years time. Naruto almost had an apoplexy; he was so disappointed that he even blamed the Sandaime of being scared of Naruto becoming stronger. Sakura tried to console him, because she was the only person able to go close to Naruto when he was in his 'freak-out' mode, and she managed to calm him down, although Naruto continued to complain about 'unfairness' and 'stupid Hakage jijii' to anyone who was around to listen.

They hadn't seen the new boy after the events in the forest, because he didn't make it to the third task. Sakura had told Sasuke what the boy did for him, and although his upbringing, and the shinobi ways told him to find and thank the other, he could not bring himself to do it; a mix of pride and embarrassment stopped him from doing what he knew was the proper thing. He didn't think it mattered so much, as they would not be seeing the boy after the exams anyway. But, a week after the end of the chuunin examination, as Team 7 assembled in their usual rendezvous point by the bridge waiting for their sensei, a surprise awaited them; they saw Kakashi approaching with the boy to his side.

"Hello Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura waved cheerfully.

"What's he doing with you?" said Naruto, as he eyed the newcomer suspiciously.

"Naruto!"

Kakashi ignored Sakura hitting Naruto on the head, cleared his voice, and announced ceremoniously:

"I'd like to present you with team seven's new member - at the Hokage's wishes - " he added quickly before Naruto, whose eyes had gone wide, could interrupt.

"Neguko-kun, these are Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke. Guys, this is Neguko, Ayame."

Ayame took a step forward and smiled, the smile never reaching his eyes. Sakura bowed her head and said:

"Hi! I'm Sakura, nice to meet you."

Ayame bowed and turned to Naruto who had assumed an 'hmph' posture but nodded when Sakura kicked him. Ayame bowed again, and then turned to Sasuke, the last in the company. They looked at each other as if they were measuring against one another, Sasuke not quite forgetting the chilling look the boy had given him after his fight with Gaara.

"Uchiha, Sasuke" he just said, without bowing. The boy registered that, but bowed nevertheless. When his head was bent down, Sasuke had a fleeting moment to observe the other unnoticed. He immediately regretted his impoliteness when he saw long scratches along the boy's arms; he knew it was his own doing, because Sakura had told him what happened in the forest. He felt a pang of guilt, but he overcame it, when the boy rose because he had a steely expression when he regarded Sasuke.

Kakashi didn't fail noticing the coldness in the atmosphere, so he brushed them all off and asked them to meet the following morning to discuss a mission which would require hard training. Naruto of course complained that now that they were 'almost- chuunins' Kakashi could not treat them like children, and between rants he also complained about the new boy who had obviously captured Sakura's attention.

"Sensei, why did we have to take him on? He acts weird!" Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura left in the same direction, while Sasuke had gone the other way towards the Uchiha residence, and Ayame had disappeared somewhere in the woods.

"Naruto, once and for all, it was the Hokage's decision. He sees the boy as a great addition to the team, and don't tell me you are afraid of a little competition?" Kakashi's voice was playful, and Naruto didn't know if he meant competion about Sakura, or actual ninja skills.

"Ha! I'm not afraid of anything, especially that weirdo freak!"

"Naruto! Don't say things like that! He saved Sasuke! And by the way, sensei did you find anymore details about what happened back in the forest?"

"Our investigations have not proceeded greatly, but we have some suspicions, which are related to our upcoming mission. And now off to your houses, I will not tolerate tardiness tomorrow, and since Naruto, you wished not to be treated as children, you will not be so." Kakashi said with a menacing yet amused tone, took the 'Come, come Paradise' book out of his pocket, and started reading while he set off to his direction.

"Man!" said Naruto. "I know why he brought him, he never thought he would make it this far, well, maybe except for stupid Sasuke, and he wanted to spoil it…"

"Naruto! You heard what the sensei said, it was the Hokage's decision, stop being such as idiot!"

"But sakura-chan…."

Sakura and Naruto continued their banter, all they way to their houses, unaware that the team's balance had already shifted.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 4

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **manner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ In this chapter, two boys get acquainted with each other's punches, another boy whines non-stop, and a girl hopes. All's alright with the world, then. As always, reviews are more than welcomed.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 4: **A training session is worth a thousand words.

Team 7 met up early the next morning and surprisingly enough, their leader arrived on time. The new boy, Ayame, gave everyone a small smile when he met with them. Sakura smiled enthusiastically, Sasuke 'hned', and Naruto shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

_This guy really freaks me out, sometimes friendly, sometimes cold. That time with Gaara, he was almost being funny, but he doesn't act like that now. And why Sakura-chan is paying him so much attention? She can't like him, he's a freak! At least Sasuke-bastard doesn't seem to like him, but Sasuke doesn't like anybody. I wonder if he can beat Sasuke..._

"Making friends?" Kakashi's arrival shot Naruto out of his reverie.

"Sensei, when do we start our new mission?"

"Not until you're all prepared for it, Naruto."

"Sensei what are you talking about -"

"You still have many things to learn, and more importantly, to improve the techniques which are the most difficult for each of you. And that's exactly what this training session is about."

"Gah! More hanging from trees!"

"Exactly, Naruto-kun!" said Kakashi in a mockingly sweet voice, before adding seriously:

"You need to work on your chakra and how to maintain, it can give you an extra hold during battle. And Sakura, you will be working on you doppelgangers since it's the tecnique you least use, but it's a very important one."

Sakura nodded, and Kakashi turned to Ayame.

"Ayame-san" But instead of waiting for a response, Kakashi surged towards Ayame, but Ayame moved quickly. This continued for several minutes, Kakashi attacking, and Ayame dodging. The juunin could have used a number of ninjutsus, but he didn't want to hurt the boy, he wanted to clarify something;

"Stop playing, and fight back!" said Kakashi in a bussiness-like voice. But Ayame wouldn't make a move, not even with shuriken, or kunais.

"Right" said Kakashi. "Sasuke, Ayame, you'll be practising Taijutsu."

"What?" cried both boys in unison. Sasuke, who was until now leaning against a tree, approached his sensei.

"I already know Taijutsu" he said in a no-objections tone.

"Yes, but i'm afraid Ayame here has no idea, and he needs somebody to train with"

"What?" Naruto chuckled. "What kind of ninja doesn't know Taijutsu?

"Taijutsu is useless..." said Ayame in a cold voice, but Kakashi cut in:

"No it's not. It's the most basic technique, and every shinobi should be able to practice it."

"...against me" Ayane looked at Kakashi in a challenging way.

"Yes, but if you are ever constrained, it could save you" he said with a meaningful look at Ayame who seemed taken aback at Kakashi's words. The others turned to their sensei too, not understanding what he meant.

"You see, Ayame's technique involves chakra, not actual physical combat, because sheer brutal force simply doesn't stand a chance against it. But, you should practice even the techniques you'll be using the less, it's the mark of a good shinobi.

"That's why he evade so easily!"

"Yes Sakura, good observation. But now we shall begin; Naruto you'll help Sakura with her Kage bunshin, your specialty, and then -"

"Ne, sensei, what do you mean it's in his chakra?" Naruto was closely examining the newcomer. "Everybody can use chakra".

"Well -"

"Sensei means that i can use all the chakra that is available, not just mine, from the trees, the earth, yours..."

With that, he poked Naruto on the chest as to emphasize a point.

"I can manipulate energy, so mine never runs out. And if you use the transformation technique i'll know it, and if you use clones, i'll still be able to see the real one, because each chakra imprint has a different signature. I don't even need to perform ninjutsus, i can use chakra directly, i always have been able to do it. You know sensei's chidori? Well, that's me all over, all the time.

"Ayame-kun can use it in many ways, even to push the earth with his feet, and move really fast while on air."

Naruto was speechless. He remembered his sensei's fight with Zabuza when he used the chidori. He looked at Ayame, he never heard of a technique like that and didn't know what to make of it. On the other hand, Sasuke was sceptical.

_It must be a bloot limit technique, this must be his clan's specialty._

Kakashi intervened seeing the awe struck faces of his students.

"This does not substitute for the fact that you do not know the jutsus, and bear in mind that all things can be bound... sealed..."

Naruto gave an involuntary shudder, he knew that feeling very well, being the vessel for the Kyuubi.

"I'd have to be caught first" Ayame smirked.

"Pff, what a show-off!"

"Naruto, hush!"

"What, Sakura-chan?"

"You're just jealous!"

"Of what? That scrawny little..." Naruto used his full height to glare at Ayame who was an inch shorter than Sasuke.

"You two, take your argument and convert it to passionate training. Naruto, Sakura-chan, now!"

Naruto and Sakura snapped out, and Sakura pulled Naruto from his sleeve away from Ayame, towards a clearing nearby.

"Now, you two, i want physical combat, and with that i mean no ninjutsus, or genjutsus, chakra, or sharingan" he looked at Sasuke pointedly. Ayame turned to look as well. Sasuke didn't know if the boy already knew about the sharingan.

"Time to get dirty boys" Kakashi smirked and stalked off to a nearby tree flipping open his favourite 'Come, come Paradise'.

"You will not supervise us!"

Kakashi simply waved Ayame off with his hand.

"He will just sit there and read?" Ayame stared at their sensei. "Are all your training sessions like that?"

Sasuke considered whether to reply or not.

"Most of the time he doesn't even appear." With that he went into an attacking stance.

Ayame turned again to Sasuke and seeing him ready for battle, he also prepared.

"Right" he said.

Sasuke faked a jump to the right, and then turned to kick him from the left. The other boy dodged him quickly by somersaulting backwards. But Sasuke was an expert in mid-air twists, so he bent his body forward to deliver a punch. Ayame ducked, and Sasuke landed on one knee. He was staring to get mildly annoyed. He remembered the fight with Gaara, and how Ayame had even dodged Kakashi, although the juunin wasn't really trying. Then he became a whirlwind of fists and kicks, twisting and jerking, hoping to be too quick for the other, and eventually deliver a blow. The boy kept ducking and jumping, but didn't attempt a counter attack. Sasuke was seriously doubting his own speed now, he was almost tempted to use the sharingan to read his opponent.

After twenty minutes of what seemed like a choreographed scene, Sasuke was panting a little bit, but tried to keep his voice even when he exclaimed:

"Why don't you fight back?"

At that Kakashi raised his head from his book, and looked at the two boys.

"I don't need to. You'll exhaust yourself, and i'll still win in the end" the other boy said in conversational tones.

Sasuke was beginning to feel angry.

_I'll never be able to train properly with this guy._

Kakashi approached them and scowled.

"Ts ts Ayame-kun, i believe something needs to be done. You see, Sasuke-kun, Ayame can literally see your chakra, and where you channel it in order to strike, so he sees your moves before you even move, and he can avoid them. He can likewise, see through pretend strikes, thus any conventional straightforward attack is futile."

Sasuke looked at his sensei corking an eyebrow. This guy could be more powerful than him.

"I believe this may help -" Kakashi pulled a black cloth from his pocket.

"Waaa...?"

Kakashi moved towards Ayame, but the boy was backing down moving his head.

"Are you crazy? I'm not fighting blindfolded!"

"Now, now, what if your eyesight gets impaired during a battle? You need to learn to fight without the foretelling of the chakra! And that's an order from your teacher, and superior juunin."

Sasuke had never heard Kakashi speak quite like that.

"Alright then." Ayame's voice was stone cold, and he picked the cloth tying around his top half face by himself.

"Okay you two, you may continue."

Sasuke didn't know how to start, he felt a bit uneasy fighting the boy with such an advantage, but he shrugged as it was only fair since Ayame had an advantage by default with his eyes open. He delivered a punch which was missed by millimeters. Sasuke thought the boy could probably still feel the energy somehow, but he definitely wasn't like before. He did a fake turn, and punched again. The boy didn't duck this time, but tried to block it with his forearm. The blow was strong enough to send him staggering backwards. Sasuke charged again, Ayame raised his head sensing the direction, and moved to the left. Sasuke tried another hit which Ayame blocked with one hand, and tried to punch Sasuke with the other. Sasuke dodged easily and smirked. He delivered a blow which the boy blocked with the other free hand, but Sasuke pushed both hands back easily.

_What the? His blows don't have any strength, and his blocking is laughable._

He kicked the boy who did a sort of pirouette, but Sasuke was quick and jumped to the other side to deliver a punch to the boy's stomach. Ayame gasped, not so much in pain, as in surprise at the blow.

_That bastard!_

He straightened, but just before he could move, Sasuke hit him with his elbow on the face. Ayame sensed it coming, and all he could do was cover his face, but it still hurt like hell. He felt his whole head spinning, and spit an excess of liquid from his mouth guessing it to be blood from a broken tooth probably. Sasuke sensed weakness and wondered if he should proceed kicking the other into oblivion now that he found an opening. He twisted to throw a kick but didn't put his whole force on it, because his conscience still nagged him about the blindfold. He kicked the boy in the sheens, but Ayame quickly recovered and turned to Sasuke even though he couldn't see him.

"Don't you dare hold back on me Uchiha!" he yelled and run forwards.

Sasuke 'hnned', and decided to comply getting ready for a proper hit. But it was never delivered as the boy jumped to the air and made an acrobatic salto landing behind Sasuke and hitting him between the shoulders. Sasuke had forgotten that even blindfolded the boy could use the chakra for his speedy flying-like moves. However, the blow didn't hurt very much, and Sasuke wondered again about the other boy's strength. He immediately turned to punch him in the face, the boy was taken aback by Sasuke's recovery, apparently having faith in his own blows, and ducked his head just in time. Sasuke then had an idea.

_Sensei didn't say anything about shuriken! They are still part of Taijutsu!_

He took one shuriken out of his pocket and toyed with the idea. He raised it, and threw it experimentally at the other boy who whirlwind to avoid it.

"What! You can't do that!"

"I'm not using anything but physical force" and to emphasize that, Sasuke send two more shuriken swiftly at the boy.

Ayame who seemed resigned but murderous, took out a kunai in order to throw off the shurinen. But Sasuke send a third one that grazed the other boy's forearm before sticking to a tree.

Ayame stilled and tilted his head. Then he took 3 kunais out of his pocket and threw them at where he sensed Sasuke's presence. The movement was so fast that Sasuke understood what happened after he saw the kunais coming his way. He fell to the ground clumsily, but one kunai still managed to gash his shoulder.

_Dammit!_

He got up, charged at Ayame who sensed it, and threw a kunai. Sasuke jumped, Ayame threw one more, but Sasuke avoided it and kicked Ayame on the side because Ayame had already moved trying to avoid a direct hit.

The fight continued like this for several hours, Sasuke getting through to Ayame a few times, Ayame dodging and ducking, and occasionally hitting Sasuke, but from the two, Ayame was the most injured. However, he didn't seem to get as tired as Sasuke, which brought Sasuke again to a disadvantage.

When dusk was approaching, Sasura and Naruto came from their clearing, looking exhausted.

"Sensei, can we go home for dinner now? Naruto's voice boomed around.

"Sakura-chan, how is your Kage bunshin no jutsu going?"

"Can i show you tomorrow? I don't think i have enough energy left now..."

Kakashi raised his head from his book and regarded his students. Sakura looked ready to collapse and Naruto had already sat down. In the distance, Sasuke and Ayame continued their cat and mouse fight.

"Hmm, okay, i suppose it's enough for today."

"Yay! Let's go for ramen Sakura-chan!"

"I wonder if Sasuke-kun would like to come for dinner..."

"Sasuke, Sasuke, arrrghh!" Naruto mumbled.

"Oi, Sasuke, Ayame, you can stop now" Kakashi smirked.

The two boys stopped their attacks. Sasuke was relieved, he was getting tired, and Ayame had managed a few more hits although they didn't hurt very much. In contrast, the other boy was a mess of cuts and bruises. Ayame took off his blindfold looking exasperated.

"Good fight" he threw at Sasuke's direction and moved towards the others. Sasuke put his hands in his pockets and followed from a distance.

"What do you think of Taijutsu, Ayame-kun?" Ayame looked at kakashi.

"Brutal."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Well, we'll continue this tomorrow, same time everyone."

"Yes, but don't be la -" Kakashi dissapeared with a 'poof' before Sakura could finish.

"It's hopeless...! Ne, Sasuke-kun, Ayame-san, we're going for ramen, do you want to come?"

"I'm sorry Sakura, but i have to go home, maybe another time."

_Ha! Sasuke-bastard is out of the way! _Naruto looked gleeful.

"What about you, Ayame-san?" Sakura tried to hide her disappointment at Sasuke's dismissal, while inner-Sakura was tearing at her hair.

"Thank you Sakura-chan" Ayame smiled, and Naruto frowned "but i can't, i'll see you all tomorrow." With that, he brought out the blindfold, retied it around his face, and walked away briskly.

"What's he doing?"

_He's training... _ Sasuke thought. This guy was really determined to become better.

"Weirdo... hey, Sakura-chan , let's go then!"

"Erm, Naruto, i think i should also head home, it's been a long day..."

"But Sakura-chan you said..."

"See you tomorrow" Sasuke turned and started walking away.

"Bye Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke yelled after him, and with an embarrassed smile at Naruto she turned to leave.

_Sasuke, you bastard!_ _Hmm, maybe Iruka-sensei will buy me some ramen..._

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 5

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **manner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ Chapter 5: We learn a bit more about Ayame, but don't worry, there's still plenty of mystery to go around.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 5: ** Lessons in conspiring, interrogation, and understanding. 

Deep inside a thick forest, a dark-haired man, and a silver-haired one approached each other, making an identical gesture which seemed like a greeting signal.

"It's getting more and more difficult to pass through unnoticed, even with the concealment jutsu. The old man has put ANBU imbeciles all around the village. They are alert, they know something is coming." The silver-haired man adjusted his glasses, while he gave his report.

"What about the scroll?" said the dark haired one, in a cold inquiring voice.

"It's well protected, it will be next to impossible to obtain it without creating a diversion."

"I found what i was looking for, we can start preparing"

"Good. I'll go and let him know then. Same spot, same time"

The dark-haired man nodded affirmatively, and with a jump he dissapeared up on the trees. The other man looked around him, and then started running towards the opposite direction.

----

"Hiiiiiii Sakura-chan!"

Naruto gave Sakura a big, toothy grin as she met with her and Sasuke on their usual rendez-vous spot.

"Where's the freaky guy?"

"Naruto, stop calling him that!"

"Heh, maybe yesterday's training was too much for him and he quit. Not that i blame him for having to deal with Sasuke's cheerful personality all day..."

"Dobe!"

"Bastard!" replied Naruto, more out of habit than anything else, since he was too preoccupied with his slander on Ayame at the moment.

"But he could have really left, maybe he decided he wanted to go back to his village, or something..."

"I hope not..." murmured Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, don't tell me you like him!"

"He's very nice, and you're just jealous of his technique!"

"I'm not - Hey! Where is he from? He never said, did he?"

"No, and... it's weird, but did you guys notice that he's not wearing a hitai-ate?"

"Yeah, you're right!" exclaimed Naruto. "You're so observative, Sakura-chan!"

Small hearts were beginning to emanate from him towards Sakura, but she whacked him on the head before they could reach her.

"Ow! What was that for!"

"You're starting to remind me of Rock Lee..."

"Eurgh! Sakura-chan you're so mean!"

"Hn?"

It was the only sound Sasuke made during the exchange, and Naruto and Sakura turned to see what was going on. Sasuke was staring at Ayame who was walking towards the trio in a brisk, normal manner, save for the fact that he was wearing the blindfold from the previous day.

"Did he walk with that all the way here!" Naruto's mouth has hanging open.

"Ayame-kun, be care -" There was a small leafy bush in Ayame's path and Sakura tried to warn him afraid he would stumble, but before she could finish, Ayame took a sharp left and passed by the bush as if he could actually see what was in front of him.

_He can feel the chakra? He made this much progress overnight?_ Sasuke would never admit it out loud, but he was somewhat impressed with the newcomer.

Ayame took off the blindfold and grinned at them.

"Thanks Sakura-san. I trained all night, so i think i finally have the hang of it. Although, i'm not sure i could yet beat Uchiha blindfolded."

Sasuke felt like he should say something. Ayame didn't seem annoyed, just stating what he honestly thought, and Sasuke realized that Ayame's behaviour after practice the previous night was because he was mad at himself, and not anyone else. But at that moment their sensei appeared as usual out of nowhere, ceasing all conversation.

"You're late!" Sakura pointed her finger at Kakashi, who shrugged and said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"You won't believe it, but there was a terrible storm, and the wind was so strong that kept pushing me backwards! I struggled to be on time, but nature is no match for even a juunin..."

Ayame had a 'huh' expression, as Naruto and Sakura both yelled "Liar!".

Sasuke shook his head grimly, and folded his arms saying "This must be the stupidest excuse yet..."

"Now, now kids, we don't don't have time to horse around. You'll begin training like you did yesterday, i want you all in top form by the end of the week."

Naruto however, was not listening at what his sensei was instructing, because he kept elbowing Sakura trying to get her attention.

"What?" hissed Sakura, and Naruto nodded his head towards Ayame.

_Oh yeah, i forgot to ask Ayame about his hitai-ate... but it's too rude to just ask him like that... _

Inner-Sakura had of course a different opinion, and was urging Sakura to go ahead and ask.

Finally, when they were about to split up with their respective partners, Sakura turned to Ayame;

"Ne, Ayame-kun, why don't you wear your hitai-ate?"

Ayame seemed surprised for a second, but composed himself and answered:

"Because i don't have one..."

"What? Really..? But why?"

"I never graduated from the ninja academy" he simply offered, and whether he was embarrassed or nonchalant about it, was anyone's guess.

Sasuke seemed skeptical at that; Ayame was a pretty good fighter for not having been trained.

Naruto on the other hand, was positively gleeful: "What do you mean you haven't graduated from an academy? And how come you are in a squad team?"

Kakashi heard the commotion and wondered what was keeping his students from their training. He walked towards them with a reproachful look. He still had 2 more chapters to go on the latest issue of 'Come, come Paradise' and he wanted to get down to business. But whatever he had in mind in order to scold them, he never had time to voice it, as Naruto was all over him in an instant.

"Master Kakashi, he's a fake! He didn't graduate from the ninja academy! How come he's allowed in a Team?"

"I already know this Naruto. So does the Hokage. Besides, the rules are different for foreigners, and we figured he's too old to go back to the academy anyway, so it'd be better if he trained in a Team. Now, would you go and train for a change!"

"But - wait! Why didn't you graduate?" said Naruto in an accusatory tone, glaring at Ayame.

"I left my village before i could..."

"Oh..." said Sakura who was beginning to feel sorry for initiating this whole interrogation on Ayame, but Naruto would not let it drop so easily.

"And what village is that?"

"Naruto! Stop it already..."

"The Water village. Anything else you needed to know?" Ayame was flushed, and it was obvious that he was loosing his patience minute by minute.

"Well, yes, since you're offering... how come you are here? Why didn't you stay in your Water village, and go to a team there?"

"Enough. We have training to do." Surprisingly enough, it was Sasuke who spoke up.

"Come on Naruto, Sasuke-kun is right, we have training to do!"

"Fine! But only because you asked to, I'm not going to do what this bastard says"

Sasuke rolled his eyes while the two begun towards a clearing.

Kakashi sectretly thanked God for finally having some peace and quiet. As if Sasuke and Naruto's antagonistic behaviour wasn't enough, now he had a third one in the equation.

Sasuke took off to the spot where they trained the previous day without waiting for Ayame, but the other caught up with him, and looking awkward, he offered:

"Thanks"

"I didn't do it for you, i'm here to train, not arguing with stupid kids all day."

If Ayame was insulted by this he didn't show it, he just shook his head in bewilderment and said"

"Is everyone in Konoha so welcoming...?"

He then took off his blindfold, tied it around his head, getting ready for their training.

It was the first time in a while that Sasuke felt a something akin to disgrace.

----

Team7's following days passed in a similar manner. Relentless training under Kakashi's watchful eye, the occasional argument popping up, more often than not, and everyone making steady progress in their respective tasks. Even Ayame was getting considerably better at sensing his opponent's chakra blindfolded, and his punches and physical strenghth overall, was improving, although they were nowhere near Sasuke's blows which could even imitate Rock Lee's. All in all, however, Ayame was a lot better that when he first entered the team, and Sasuke was beginning to wonder what would happen when Ayame would take the blindfold off, and use his abilities to the maximum.

The two had an unspoken understanding. They trained hard, and when Sasuke needed a break since Ayame's energy was never ending, or when Ayame was too beaten too continue, they would take breaks, till the other recovered. They didn't talk much, but that suited Sasuke just fine since he wasn't exactly a chatty person. Besides, most of the time Ayame also seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts. They did however, come to respect one another as opponents, Sasuke perfecting his Taijutsu without feeling guilty about the blindfold anymore, and Ayame content that the other wasn't holding back on him, both benefiting from this, and improving.

Sasuke got his answer at what would happen in a 'real' fight, a week later; Kakashi being satisfied with the team's overall improvement, allowed the boys to have a spar with all they've got, sans blindfold, and not being limited to Taijutsu.

The two boys stood opposite each other, but neither moved as if they were unsure how to proceed now that there weren't explicit instructions. After a few moments, Ayame abruptly jumped in the air, but Sasuke expected him doing something like that, and used the substitution technique to make himself look as if he was still on the ground, and jumped himself high while throwing shuriken at Ayame's direction. Ayame however, could tell where the real Sasuke was, and threw kunais at him. Sasuke moved out of their way just in time, while the fake Sasuke turned back into a rock.

_Damn, he's reading my chakra... _he thought as he landed. He then concentrated, trying to gather all of his energy, in order to invoke the sharingan and look into Ayame's attack.

What he saw took him aback; White-blue lines were springing from Ayame, connecting him with everything in his vicinity. The lines seemed to be vibrant and moving towards Ayame as he absorbed energy, and Sasuke realized that when Ayame was in a fighting mode, he was seeing everything by its chakra form, not its actual one. That's why it was so easy for him to avoid getting attacked, by direct hits or objects. It was the most peculiar thing, and Sasuke was convinced that this kind of technique was definitely a blood-limit technique.

He waited to see if the sharingan would spot Ayame's speedy movements, but Ayame wasn't moving at all. Sasuke ceased the sharingan to conserve his energy and looked at Ayame to see what had him stopped.

Ayame was looking right back at him, straight into his eyes, with a stunned expression. Before Sasuke could ask what was going on, Ayame turned and run in the other direction, leaving a bewildered Sasuke behind, wondering what the hell had just happened.

**TBC**


	7. Flashback

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ This chapter, is again, not really a chapter, but a brief flashback that i didn't want to fit in with any other chapters, because it stands on its own. Who's talking to who? You decide...  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**  
Flashback**

_"I like your eyes, i've never seen anyone with eyes like that..."_

_"There is no one with eyes likes anymore."_

-End of flashback-

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 6

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ Chapter 6 features what may seem like a pointless, abundant scene, but is actually a prelude of what's going to happen next. I didn't want to cram it in the next chapter, so you'll just have to bear with it. Remember: good things happen to those who wait patiently!  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.****

Chapter 6: Figure you out.

_It's impossible... he... but how? It can't be... _

Ayame was running fast, not caring where he was going, as long as it was far enough. He wanted to be left alone with his thoughts, which were like a turmoil inside his head, as he tried to rationalize what he had just seen.

He halted when the trees had gotten really thick, figuring he must be a good distance away from the village. He sat down with his back up against a log, and tried to clear his mind, million thoughts were trailing in million directions, and he had never been so confused before in his life.

_Maybe they weren't the same, maybe there are different kinds of that... that... and he's not like that all the time, so it couldn't be... _

Ayame sighed and closed his eyes.

_Damn! I shouldn't have run like that... how will i go back, and what will i say now? Damn..._

----

After Ayame had taken off abruptly, leaving a bewildered Sasuke behind, Team 7 had broken off and agreed to meet the following day. Sakura wanted them to go after him, but Kakashi said that whatever had transpired, Ayame would probably have a good reason for leaving them like that. Sasuke for the most part was silent, not looking at either Sakura's worried expression, Naruto's confused one, or listening at Kakashi, who had a philosophical quote to offer for every situation.

He took off towards the Uchiha residence, not having quite overcome his surprise at Ayame's departure, but if he wanted to be honest with himself, he was more surprised at Ayame's look before he run away. Sasuke had seen there a trace of something he couldn't quite put his finger on...

_Was it... horror...! _

He couldn't tell for sure, and that disturbed him the most.

_Was it because i used the sharingan? Maybe he'd never heard of it before, and was surprised to see it..._

But even as he thought that, Sasuke doubted that it could have been the sharingan that drove Ayame away; a person who took on Gaara, would probably not be easily freaked out.

He was lost as to what caused the other boy to behave like that, and although he knew that it wasn't (directly at least) his fault, he still found that look disturbing for some reason. Sasuke didn't like having things out of the reach of his understanding, particularly when they involved him. It bothered him. But, as he was nearing his house, he figured that waiting would be the best resolve for the time being.

----

When Team 7 met up early the next morning, Ayame was already waiting for everyone else to arrive. He had his hands in his pockets, leaning by the bridge looking carefree. When they saw him, Sakura was all over him in an instant.

"Ayame-kun, are you alright? We were so worried about you!"

"Oh, about that, i'm sorry Uchiha, but i wasn't trying to avoid the fight" he offered with a shrug and an apologetic smile towards Sasuke, and then turned at Sakura.

"Thanks for worrying about me, i'm sorry to cause you trouble"

Sakura blushed, Ayame's aloof politeness, got to her every time, but Naruto still looked confused. On the one hand, he was pissed off with Ayame for being the center of all the attention again, on the other hand he didn't know what to make of the other boy. He really disliked him, but no so much as to declare outward hate. He just wanted the team to be as it was before he joined in, because Ayame kind of unnerved him.

Sasuke nodded accepting his apology, and that was that. He didn't really expect an explanation, there were so many odd things about this boy, but yesterday's events still bothered him for a reason. He pushed them back though, and decided to observe the other more closely from now on.

When Kakashi arrived, he was glad to see that Ayame had returned, but did not push the matter further. He informed his students that their mission would begin in two days time, and that they would be getting the following day off in order to prepare, and relax a little bit from all the training. As for the mission itself, Kakashi said it was a standard class C mission, safe transferring something from Konoha to the Mist village, but there were rumors of bandits, and that's why he wanted them all alert and at their best behavior.

Team 7 was excited with the prospect of an upcoming mission, that didn't involve getting cats off trees, or clearing garbage, but most of all, for their repose, since Sakura had suggested going for a picnic, and wouldn't take no for an answer. She offered to prepare the food, so the boys would just have to show up. Naruto was of course thrilled, and even Sasuke consented to attend. Ayame also gracefully accepted, glad because the tension was starting to dissolve.

He kept nevertheless glancing nervously at Sasuke's direction for the remaining of the day. Sasuke was aware of it most of the time, and when Ayame peeked at him again for the tenth time, he turned and caught him in the act. The other boy didn't immediately look away though, he kept staring at Sasuke with a curious expression, as if he was trying to figure something out. Sasuke looked straight back, albeit a mildly annoyed at the other's audacity. Finally Ayame lowered his eyes and turned away. He put his hands in his pockets, told Sakura he'd be there for the picnic, and left without another glance at them. Sasuke then experienced a sudden deja vu; for some reason, he had the same apprehending, ominous feeling like the day they first saw Ayame at his fight with Gaara.  
****

TBC


	9. Chapter 7

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ In this chapter the team goes for their picnic, and if you squint really well and see elements of **pre-slash** somewhere in there, it's just you. Or not. I'm not telling ;) Oh, and something rather horrible is in store for our heroes, but this chapter is more about joy, in general. So enjoy!  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 7:** Good day for a picnic.

"I'm leaving!"

"Get home safely Sakura"

Sakura took off for her much awaited picnic 'date', with a big smile on her face. In her mind, although it wasn't actually a 'date', it meant spending a whole day together with Sasuke having fun.

_And Naruto _Sakura thought, but she wouldn't let that spoil her mood.

_At least Ayame-kun will also be there..._

She was carrying a large basket which she had packed with food and fruits, since she was in charge of the food.

_Leave it to the boys and we would be eating air! S_he smiled as she thought of all the delicious things she had prepared.

It was still early, and the shops of Konoha had not yet opened. Sakura smirked as she passed from Ino's flower shop.

_If only Ino knew..._

The sun was getting stronger by the minute, and not a cloud was visible in the open blue sky.

_It's such a beautiful day... _

_Yes! Even the forces of nature are with me today. This day Sasuke will be mine!_ Inner-Sakura provided with glee.

The bridge where they had decided to meet was coming into view and Sakura could see that everyone had already arrived.

After they said their good mornings, they took off to the river running nearby the village, a picturesque little spot, with ample space to sit and have their picnic. As soon as he saw the river Ayame exclaimed:

"Is this the place? It's really cool Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled "I thought you might like the river, since you come from Water and all..."

Ayame smiled and turned to gaze at the river who was running peacefully and sparkled underneath the sun rays. In reality, he was so much fond of rivers because spending time by the water was the last happy memory he had of his family.

_Before..._

Sakura's and Naruto's bickering shot him out of his thoughts which were becoming a bit melancholic, and he tried to focus on the present because he didn't want to spoil his mood. Sakura had laid out a big blanket and set their things, and now her and Naruto were arguing about what they should do first. Finally everyone decided on skipping stones, even Sasuke, although all he offered was a non-nonchalant "I don't mind".

"Right! Look Sakura-chan, i will definitely send it all the way across!". Naruto was of course competitive even in stone skipping and was determined that his would make the most skips.

Naruto's flat little stone did an impressive 5 skips before it plopped in the water.

"Ha! See if you can beat that!"

Ayame smirked, picked up a stone and send it flying on the surface of the water. It did 4 skips and though it didn't seem it would go much further, on the 4rth one the stone picked up speed and did 3 more.

Ayame turned to Naruto with a cheeky grin.

"What? But how! Jeez, it figures you'd go pick the best stone, although I was not nit-picky about mine"

Naruto pouted and Ayame laughed. Sasuke of course understood that Ayame had used his chakra technique on the stone to give it extra speed, just to tick Naruto off, and he smiled

_That guy..._

Sakura thought of a way to shake Naruto off his grumble and suggested that they should have lunch. They all sat down in the blanket while Sakura handed out fruit, and her specially made dumplings.

"These are delicious, Sakura-chan" said Ayame looking at Sakura with awe. Sasuke nodded, while Naruto was so ecstatic because of the food that he couldn't even speak.

"Thank you" Sakura beamed at all of them, while she was rummaging inside the basket looking for something.

"Where are the ramen cups? I'm sure i had packed them necxt to the fruit..." She turned and saw 4 empty ramen cups stashed inside one another at the edge of the blanket.

"What-"

"Err... Sakura-chan, about that... i really wanted to try your cooking before they did, but it was so delicious that i couldn't stop, so..."

"Na-ru-to!"

"I didn't mean to but while you guys were talking about the river, i couldn't help myself so..."

_All the hard work i put into it... i stayed so late preparing those dishes... so that Sasuke would try my cooking and maybe..._

"Uhm, Sakura-chan, why are you turning purple...?" said Naruto tentatively, while Ayame was looking stunned and Sasuke like he'd seen it all hundreds of times befor.

_I.Will.Beat.Him.To.A.Pulp!_

"NARUTOOOOOOOOO!" Sakura charged at him, while Naruto made a run for it. Sakura chased after him raising her fists

"Come back here, you THIEF!"

Ayame chuckled, and Sasuke explained that it will be a while till those two would stop arguing. He then laid down, with palms laced behind his head, and gazed at the clear blue sky. Fluffy white clouds were slowly moving. Ayame went near the river, touched the water with his hands closing his eyes. A small breeze caressed his face. He went a little inside the water up to his knees, marveling the relaxing coolness of the water.

Sasuke was shot out of his dozing reverie when some water hit his face, and he sat up looking around. He saw Ayame inside the river who had a michevious grin on. He realized that he should be mildly annoyed that he was so rudely disturbed, but then saw Ayame with a full grin and simply raised his eyebrow in 'are you 5 years old?' way.

"What Uchiha, are you afraid of a little water?"

Sasuke considered replying for a moment, but finally got up, and walked towards the river with his hands in his pockets. But when he got next to the water, he quickly dipped his hands in and sent Ayame a big splash, who didn't expect it, and set off to retaliate with another splash, and before Sasuke knew it, he was up to his kness in the water himself playing like a little kid, forgetting momentarily that he stopped being a kid the day he lost his family.

At some point from all the thrashing and all the spraying water, Ayame's turban half came off, and when he did a twist to avoid a particularly big splash form Sasuke, it completely unraveled and fell off. Blood-red hair shined in the light.

_Oh no!_ Ayame walked a little inside the water to retrieve his floating turban, his thoughts in turmoil.

_Now what? What will i do if someone sees? But i can trust Uchiha, right? He probably doesn't know... and it's wet anyway, so i guess i have to leave it to dry for a while... dammit i should have tied it better._

Ayame picked up the turban, rolled it into a ball and threw in on the shore. He then turned back to Sasuke who was just standing looking at him.

_This is a really strange hair colour... I haven't seen anyone with it before._

"What!" said Ayame, and Sasuke raised an eyebrow but said nothing, and splashed Ayame with a big wave of water, since he wasn't being attentive. But Ayame stood still and didn't tried to avoid it, he just laughed and shook his wet head like a dog drying itself, droplets falling off his hair all over. The sun was particularly bright that moment.

----

When Sakura and Naruto returned to their pic-nic spot, Naruto sporting a big bump on his head, Sasuke was back to his sky gazing, and Ayame who had his turban on again, was trying to light up a fire.

"Everything okay Sakura-chan?"

"Oh yes, everything is fine now" she said gritting her teeth at Naruto.

"Ehehehe... let me go get some dry branches for the fire" said Naruto who seemed to be keeping a safe distance from Sakura. Ayame smiled and went back to picking the small fire that had lit up.

The dusk slowly came. Sakura reluctnantly stood up.

"Oh... it's getting late, i have to be going back home..."

"I'll escort you Sakura-chan"

Sakura gave Naruto a particularly menacing look and he shut up. She picked her things and put them back in the basket.

_I wonder if Sasuke wants to walk home... it's such a lovely evening, the perfect setting for a romantic declaration!_

"Ne, Sasuke-kun..."

But Sasuke didn't reply as he had fallen asleep on the ground.

"Heh, he fell asleep! I'll walk you home Sakura-chan!"

Sakura sighed.

_I don't want to wake him up, he looks so peaceful like that..._ she regretfully took her eyes off Sasuke, and turned at Ayame.

"Will you be coming as well Ayame-san?"

"Hmm, no, actually i'll stay a while. Put out the fire."

"Okay, i guess i'll see you tomorrow then."

Ayame smiled "See you tomorrow".

Naruto nodded with his head and turned to leave with Sakura.

"And what gave you the idea, you could come with me!"

"Fine, jeez! I'll walk with a distance okay?"

Sakura shook her head in desperation... when Naruto was determined there was nothing to do about it.

Ayame watched them go, and then looked over at Sasuke who was still sleeping, and then at the sky; stars were starting to come out.

When Sasuke woke up, it was almost nighttime. He was confused for a second. He looked over at the dying fire, and then at Ayame who was gazing at the sky.

_I fell asleep... Sakura and Naruto must have gone already..._

At that moment Sasuke experienced a feeling that he couldn't quit describe.

Ayame turned and saw that he had woken up.

"Hey. The others left a while ago. Sakura didn't want to wake you up"

"What are you still doing here?

"I don't have anywhere else that i have to be anyway" Ayame simply offered, and Sasuke suddenly realized that this was true for him as well. He didn't really have a home that he had to be back to, so he went back to star gazing. The stars were particularly bright that night.

"Do all the members in your family have the sharingan eye?" Ayame's question shot Sasuke out of his musings, and he really didn't think much of it when he replied:

"I don't have a family"

Simply, like that. No embarrassment, no indignation, no blind rage.

_So he probably doesn't have anything to do with..._

"Me, neither" said Ayame just like that too. "They died when i was five" Ayame didn't really know why he was offering this kind of information, but he felt strangely relieved.

Sasuke turned and looked at him, although, in a way he had already guessed that about Ayame.

Both were lost in their separate thoughts for a while, when suddenly Ayame sighed and Sasuke turned again to look at him.

"I'm very content right now"

Sasuke continued to stare, and Ayame thought that he probably thought he was crazy. He smiled and explained:

"I mean that i don't understand why people don't appreciate the simple moments and always strive to get more... i'm content with my life as it is right now"

Sasuke considered this for a while, and realized that it was actually a rare moment that he felt at peace, something he never felt after the murders, and turned at Ayame and offered a smile, as rare and honest as those moments. Ayame then grinned and Sasuke's smile got bigger as if it was addictive, as if he couldn't help it. They stayed like that for a while.

Then suddenly, there was a swooshing sound out of nowhere, as somebody landed on their feet. He looked at the two boys and sneered.

"Isn't this sweet."

Sasuke froze, feeling the blood leaving his body.

_No... It can't be... _

_Itachi..._

**  
TBC**


	10. Chapter 8

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU manner**, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ Chapter 8: What are the repercussions for letting a team member leave with a murderer? A boy embarks on a hunt for one, or maybe two, individuals, while three people are left behind dumbstruck. Oh, and the scene with the sneaky conspiring guys back in chapter 5? It had a reason for being.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.** Also, **the title is actually a quote by Oscar Wilde.

**Chapter 8:** The truth is rarely pure and never simple.

Sasuke had imagined how it would be when he would meet his brother again; he was dreaming about it every other night, and the thought was at the back of his head in ever conscious moment. However, when it really happened, it was nothing like he expected it to be.

----

"Isn't this sweet."

Sasuke felt his blood freezing, and his body being heavy and immobile. He tried to gather his wits, he couldn't believe it was finally time; the time he had sworn to take his revenge and avenge his clan. He stood up.

"Aniki..."

Sasuke stopped on the spot; he felt like he had taken a blow to the stomach, and turned not quite believing what he heard.

"Aniki..." Ayame mumbled again. He seemed transfixed, as if he had fallen into a trance. He wouldn't take his eyes of the newcomer, but he wouldn't move either.

_What's going on... why is he calling him that! _

"Finally, i find you. You are not running away this time."

"I..."

Sasuke ignored Ayame who was still looking at Itachi, and took a step closer to his brother. He didn't understand what was going on, but he knew one thing and that was enough;

_I'm not letting him out of here alive. This is the moment i have been training for all my life._

"Get ready to die."

It was when Sasuke spoke that Ayame seemed to shake off whatever had gotten into him, and he looked at him incredulously, but Sasuke only took a step closer to Itachi clenching his fists.

"What a surprise it was to also see you here. But don't be mistaken; i didn't come for you, you're of no importance."

Sasuke tried to squash down the wave of anger that flared at his brother's words. He knew that being emotionally charged was not going to help him in this battle. He hated Itachi for as long as he could remember, but right now he needed to concentrate.

"No matter. I will fight you. As you said, all these years i survived, only to have the chance to kill you.

_What the hell? Why is Uchiha saying these things?_

Ayame could not understand what was going on. He never saw Uchiha behave like that. He was always calm and composed, and even when he was clearly annoyed he always had an air of remoteness. But right here and now, Uchiha seemed to be involved in the center of it all. Ayame was certain that Itachi came for him, he was sure of that. But how come he knew Uchiha and what was going on between them...

_What if...? But he said he didn't have any family. They can't be related, they can't... what kind of person would talk like that to a member of his own family!_

Ayame knew the value of family very well, since he had lost his own very early, and missed them in every waking moment. He always believed that if he could have any one of them back, he would never them let them go, he'd protect him with his life.

But now Sasuke was moving slowly towards the other, and Ayame instinctively stayed out of his way.

"Don't delude yourself that you could kill me, you are too weak." said Itachi in a threatening voice, towering over Sasuke. His face was half hidden by the high neck of his cape, but that only made him look more menacing.

Ayame felt helpless. He wanted to do something, to stop this, but he didn't know if he should. It seemed that they both had a history, whatever it was. Just then, the first time he met Itachi flashed into his mind.

He remembered that for a couple of years he had considered Itachi to be family.

_Well, family that didn't care for you, and always seemed bothered having you around, but still, let you stick around. I always thought he did it because he didn't really mind... then of course i found out he had a reason. Everyone has ulterior motives. There's nothing given without a price. And yet... i considered him to be my family, and i still..._

"I've become stronger till the last time we met. You'll see."

Ayame was rushed out of his thoughts as Sasuke opened his hand palm down facing the ground and started the incantation for the chidori. It was his most difficult and exhausting technique, but the only one who could effectively kill a person right away. The tribal marking on his neck seemed like it was becoming alive, and marks were starting to cover all of his neck and arm. Electricity shot through his hand and started palpitating. Sasuke looked at his brother and smiled.

"Get ready to die."

He charged towards Itachi, raising his hand aiming on the chest.

"NO!"

Ayame jumped between them, immediately making a bubble of chakra. Sasuke realized what had happened a second too late, and Ayame was on the receiving end of the chidori. Sasuke's arm was inside the bubble emanating energy, but not touching Ayame, whose eyes were closed shut, as he tried to absorb all the energy up. Sasuke removed his hand the moment he realized what happened, and stood watching the other boy in astonishment; he seemed enveloped in a lot of pain as the energy was too much for him to handle, but he tried to channel it towards the earth so that it would leave his body before it would become lethal.

The blue sphere surrounding Ayame suddenly dissolved and he fell on his knees. Sasuke was shocked by his reaction. He didn't understand why in the world Ayame had gotten in between them, risking his own life. But whatever the cost, he would not let Itachi live. He had made a promise after all.

"It's not over yet." he said, but he didn't sound convincing, not even to his own self.

_I still have one slot, like Kakashi showed me. I can control it, and i will. I won't let him walk out like that._

His mind was a haze, and all he could see was red and murder. In his eyes there was no one else there but him and Itachi.

"Very well, if you say so. Try your best." Itachi took some steps towards Sasuke raising his arm out of the robe, while Sasuke got ready for a second attempt at chidori.

Seeing them getting ready to fight, forced Ayame to made a quick decision. He was still in pain, but he would not sit to witness anyone's death. He turned to Itachi and said:

"Lets leave. You said you came for me, so lets go."

Ayame's face was still scrunched up in pain and he couldn't say much more, but he managed to straighten himself up. He took a deep breath and jumped up on a tree. He knew the way back, he also knew that Itachi would follow.

Itachi lowered his hand. For a moment it seemed like he had wanted to strangle him.

"As i said, you are too weak. Still, too weak... Goodbye, little brother."

And with that he disappeared with a flash.

Sasuke fell on his knees, clutching his head.

----

_I couldn't do it... i couldn't. All this training, and i was still too weak... i let him escape just like that. _

Sasuke was still on the ground, feeling lost. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself for what had happened. But deep in his heart he knew that he wasn't weak, that if had another chance he would fight Itachi he everything he had. And kill him.

_Whoever stands between us next time, will face the same fate. Idiot kid! Why did you have to do that? _

Part of Sasuke was mortified at the idea that he almost accidentally killed another team member, and part was angry at Ayame for getting between him and Itachi.

He then heard a distant sound coming from the village, and raising his head he saw smoke in the sky over the trees.

_What's going on...?_

He heard running steps, and looked at the trees. A blurry Sakura came into view.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!"

Sakura run towards Sasuke, falling to the ground to check whether he was alright.

"Sakura, what are you doing back here?"

"Oh Sasuke! I'm so relieved you are okay. Didn't you hear? There is a fire in the village. Kakashi sensei came to my house and Naruto's to gather us up, but when we went to your house you weren't there, and i was so worried!"

Sakura blurted all this really fast, while trying to catch her breath from all the running. Naruto and Kakashi who were running behind her, approached them.

"Sasuke! Good, you're okay. Do you know where Ayame is?"

Sasuke stood up and looked at his sensei. He didn't know how to tell them what had happened, It was too soon, and all he wanted was to be left alone.

"He... took off. Itachi Uchiha, my brother... was here. I don't know, i couldn't..."

Naruto and Sakura looked down. They knew from the first day team 7 was assembled that Sasuke was training with one purpose, to kill his brother, the person responsible for the demise of the most powerful clan in the Konoha village.

"Sasuke, listen. Whatever happened doesn't matter. Right now you have to explain to me exactly what happened with Ayame."

Sasuke had never seen Kakashi act so seriously, except of course during battle, and he forced himself to try and cooperate.

"He left. Itachi said he came for him, and they left."

"Damn!"

"What's going on sensei? Will we be still going on our mission?"

"Our mission was Ayame, Naruto. We were supposed to protect him. That's why the Hokage put him in the team. But he thought it would be better if neither you or him knew about it"

The members of Team 7 looked at their teacher perplexed.

"Who is he sensei?"

"We didn't know for sure, but tonight's events prove it. The fire was put as a distraction, but we realized it too late, and the people behind this, a terrorist group named 'Akatsuki', have stolen a very important scroll."

"What scroll was it?"

"The one we would carry to the Mist village. We don't know exactly why they need it, but this scroll talks about the maintenance of chakra, and with Ayame gone, it only proves that he is the one the Hokage suspected all along."

"Who, sensei?" Sakura was looking at her teacher intensely, she couldn't believe that the boy they spent the past weeks together, and who seemed so nice, was a different person all together.

"He lied about his name, but when he came to the Hokage and asked to go into the tournament to protect himself, Sandaime, called for a small research. After Orochimaru's attack during the second task, the Hokage was almost certain that he was looking for Ayame, and that meant that Ayame was in danger. He invited him to the village, and let him join a team only to keep an eye on him. You see we have for a while suspected that he comes form a very old, legendary family from the Cloud village, the Orinami. We don't know much about this village, but their reputation has traveled a long way."

Naruto seemed puzzled.

"But master Kakashi, i've never heard of them..."

"It's because almost ten years ago, the whole family was killed in a terrible manner. It's known as the 'Martyrs' Night' but no one talks about it anymore, because it is a disgrace to the name of all shinobi"

"I thought Martyrs' Night was only a folk story" said Sasuke who now seemed a little bit more interested in what was going on.

"It's a true story, and a very tragic one. All the families who possessed a blood limit technique in that village were brutally killed that night by a movement of people who believed that there shouldn't be inequality between ninjas, and that it was unjust for only some to possess such gifts as the blood limit ones. The Orinami clan had a very special talent, being able to control energy made them almost impossible to beat. They were very well known, and much respected, and like most old and noble clans they never used it to seem superior. However, the group had poisoned the minds of the villagers telling them that if those families ever united they could rule over everybody, and make them their substitutes. Fear and jealousy in the heart of ignorant people can become a very dangerous weapon..."

Kakashi sighed and continued "So one night they devised coordinated attacks, and almost all the village turned against those families, with the Orinami first, and set fire to their houses while they were sleeping, or murdered them in their sleep. Many innocent lives were killed in the most horrible, dishonorable way that night, that's why people never talk about it anymore. There was always though this rumor that someone escaped, but no one was sure because afterwards not all bodies could be identified. When the Hokage heard of the boy's abilities, he was suspected him right from the start. And if the Akatsuki came for him, and for that particular scroll there's more proof. His talent can be used in many ways, and who knows what they'll make him do."

Sakura felt incredibly sad. How awful for Ayame to loose his family like that, and then always live in hiding and in fear of others. She then felt even more for Sasuke, because hearing this story would no doubt made him remember of his own family, and how they had died.

_And meeting again his brother must have been horrible..._

Then a thought crossed her mind.

"Ne, sensei... all families with blood limit techniques have a characteristic feature that distinguishes them... for example Neji Hyuga's eyes and Sasuke's sharingan... how do we know for sure that Ayame really comes from this family? Maybe he only has a similar technique and not the same one"

"Well, i know many jutsus" Kakashi almost smiled "But no one like that... and the Orinami were actually known do have a characteristic feature... supposedly their hair is red like the color of blood."

Sasuke raised his head at that.

_So he really does come from that family... but if he knew why Itachi pursued him, what did he willingly go back...? _

"Anyway, i wanted to see of you were all okay, Iruka-sensei in particular, would have my head on a plate if something happened to any of you" said Kakashi sheepishly scratching his head "but also to tell you that the mission is changing. The Hokage wants us to find him, and ANBU special forces are also looking for the Akatsuki. We didn't know for sure if he's with them, but if Itachi Uchiha was here, it is most probable that he is."

"I'll go on my own."

Sasuke looked at his teacher, with determination.

"It is my own battle to fight. I'll track Itachi to the other side of the world if i have to. It was my mistake that he escaped. I can't loose my time looking for the Orinami kid, but if he really is with him, i can't promise you that he'll live though it either"

"Sasuke, what-"

"I can't explain. I have to hurry. I'm sorry, but the team will only slow me down. If you won't let me, i'll quit the team. Not even the Hokage will stop me. I'm going on my own, You can keep searching for the rest of them."

"Sasuke i can't let you go, i understand your reasons for wanted to find Itachi, but it's too dangerous to be alone out there. We are talking about an S-class mission. These are all wanted criminals."

"What!" Naruto exclaimed.

"It doesn't matter, i made up my mind."

"Sasuke..." Sakura pleaded, but Sasuke had a stern expression on his face.

Kakashi looked back at him for a moment. His mouth under the mask was set in a straight line. When it came to Sasuke, he never quite knew what to expect. This boy who grew up carrying a horrible burden, was one of the best gennins he had ever trained. And even though he knew that Sasuke would never give up until he confronted his brother, he couldn't let him out there, like that. But it was obvious that Sasuke had made up his mind.

_I can't keep him against his will. And even if the Hokage orders differently, he will still go. We'll just end up chasing him away from his own village if we contain him... but dammit..._

Sasuke was like a volcano, slowly building up over the years, getting ready to explode, and Kakashi knew that.

Kakashi exhaled, and in a serious tone said:

"Our information tells us that the Akatsuki are no longer in the Country of River, where their previous hideout was rumored to be, but near the Country of Thunder, on the rocky mountains between the hidden Cloud village, and the hidden Sound village, and it is logical, if they were indeed looking for Ayame."

"That little liar, he told us he comes from the hidden Waterfall village...!"

"As i was saying, Naruto" Kakashi fixed Naruto with a stern look "That's were we'll also head for. The ANBU forces have already left. My point is Sasuke, that if you want to find Itachi, you'll have a good chance if you start from there, but in case something happens and you need anything, we'll also be around. Remember you are still part of a team."

Sasuke looked at his teacher with an understanding look. Kakashi had realized that nothing would stop him from going alone, but in his own way tried to tell him that he could count on them.

He looked at his team and gave them a nod, and then he turned and started running towards the village. He had to pack supplies, and then take off before sunrise.

"Sasuke!"

"Oi, Sasuke!" Sakura and Naruto yelled at the same time.

Sasuke stopped and turned. Sakura with her ever worrying expression, gave him a small nod and yelled:

"Be careful!"

Naruto then saluted him and grinned,

"We'll be right behind you!"

His teammates, with whom he had passed many ordeals but they always managed to make it through...

He slowly nodded and then saluted like Naruto had, and off he was.

Kakashi watched him go and sighed.

_Good luck._

**TBC**


	11. Flashback 2

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU manner**, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ Once again, this chapter is not really a chapter, but a dialogue-only flashback of the events in the Orinami house during 'Martyr's Night'. I found that the dialogue could convey the tragic atmosphere better than a description.  
P.S. I made up a couple of **pictures** in case you were wondering how Ayame looks like; you can find the links in my profile. I have also enabled **anonymous commenting**, to encourage people to leave reviews and share their thoughts.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**-Flashback-**

"Go and take the children, quick!"

"Gendou, what's happening?"

"They'll take down the house... we have to hurry!"

"Father! Mother!"

"Takanaya, go with your mother, keep your sisters safe."

"Where is Ayame?"

"He wasn't in the room when i woke up..."

"I think they are inside..."

"We have to get out, find your brother!"

"Mama..."

"Sora-chan, come here quick! It's okay, don't cry your mama is here."

"Oh no... they started a fire..."

----

"Ayame, are you in here?"

"Obaa-chan!"

"What are you doing in the stables? Come on out of there, quick!"

"Where is mama and papa?"

"Ayame, you have to get out now! It's very dangerous to go back to the house."

"I want to see my mama..."

"Don't cry, come here. Listen to me, people want to hurt us. There is no time, you have to run!"

"I..."

"Ayame, stop crying, listen to your obaa-san. Your parents would want you to save yourself. Promise me never to tell anybody who you are. You have a gift and people will always be jealous of you. Do you understand?"

"Who i am...?"

"Yes, Ayame. Here... don't take this off your head, never show your hair. I won't say this again, go now!

"I don't -"

"Please Ayame. Do this for your family's sake. For your brother and your sisters. For your parents who love you so much, and for me. Promise me, Ayame!"

"I... okay"

"Now hurry, leave from the back alley and head straight for the river outside the village. It's where you used to go with your papa fishing, do you remember?""

"Obaa-chan come with me..."

"I can't... but you can save yourself Ayame, leave and don't look back. Now run. Go!"

-End of flashback-


	12. Chapter 9

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU manner**, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ This chapter features a pensive/moody/brooding Ayame, and we finally find out what went on between him and Itachi in the past. Err... not _that_...! Get your mind off the gutter people! I also want to note that in the universe of my story, the Akatsuki organization is composed of Itachi, Kisame, and Orochimaru only; if you find yourself unable to compromise with that, then you forgot to read the warnings. Finally, I've created a livejournal account to post fic updates, art, and related discussion, the link can be found in my profile. That's all me thinks, i'll shut up now.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 9:** Living a lie.

"_Stop following me!"_

"_I like your suit. Are you a fighter? Can you teach me the sword? When i was a child, father said he'd teach me when i grew older. But... Hey, how come you have eyes like that? Are they always red? I wish i had red eyes, they're so cool!"_

"_I said go away. Or these eyes will kill you. They have done it before."_

"_Really? You've killed somebody? Was he a very bad person? But you can't kill me. You'd have to catch me first!"_

Ayame snapped back to present time as he and Itachi were jumping from tree to tree in stealth mode, and at an incredible speed. Sunrise was approaching and it wouldn't do for them to be seen.

He was thinking back on their first encounter; he was 10 years old and annoying as hell, but for some reason Itachi didn't kill him as he kept saying. He had tried to shake Ayame off many times, being an expert at covering his traces, but Ayame was always able to find him and follow suit, and Itachi couldn't understand how a kid was able to do that. He hadn't known about Ayame's talent at the time.

Ayame ended up being a servant for Itachi, Kisame, and Orochimaru and they treated him pretty much as a slave, but Ayame was so much taken with Itachi that he didn't mind. It gave him some sort of pride serving what he thought was very powerful and important ninjas. Little did he know about the true purpose of their organization.

_When i first met him, i thought he was a warrior. He seemed so cool and strong. I wanted to be exactly like him. I missed my brother and sisters so much that i guess deep down i wanted to have somebody._

They kept moving during the first year, and Itachi would be gone for large periods of time for 'missions' as he used to say. Ayame was sure that his 'aniue' was doing remarkable fits of bravery and he wished that he could grow up quickly and join him.

When he had first called Itachi 'big brother' Itachi had frozen on the spot and told him that if he didn't disappear from his sight he would kill him. Ayame was so scared that he avoided him for days afterwards. But in one of his rare moments of tolerance Itachi one night told him it was alright, that he didn't actually mind, since he once had a little brother.

Ayame would do anything to please him. He'd clown around to make him laugh, but that never happened. Itachi would scoff at him and turn away, but he never stopped trying. They put him in charge of the water supply and he would carry heavy urns to the river and back to the hideout and also pick up wood for the fire. He didn't mind doing chores as long as they wouldn't turn him out because he was so tired of running. Not having a home for 5 years and constantly being on the run had worn him out, but he was always scared that if he stayed somewhere for too long, people would find out his secret. They treated him as vermin but it was worth it when he could see them train. All of them had amazing techniques and compared to them he felt like a worm. He liked Itachi's technique the best though. Back on his village there was nobody with eyes like that, which could see everything. Sometimes Itachi would tell him that having a talent was half the work and practice was the other half and he would call him weak, and even throw a knife at him to emphasize a point, but Ayame would always dodge and they were all very perplexed at the seemingly powerless boy. Itachi would simply raise his eyebrows and go about his business, but Ayame always smiled at that, he received it as a kind of reward.

Sometime after they had settled in the River Country, Ayame was seeing less and less of Itachi, he could feel that something was stirring up but never dared to ask. Orochimaru especially, would lash out at him even he dared so much as to look at him in the eye. Oftentimes he was left for days alone in the hideout, and he was so bored, but he couldn't venture out because they might return at any moment. Sometimes he felt like they didn't even see him as a human being, rather like a decoration; a puppet who would do what it was told, no questions asked. But Ayame had lived in fear for so long that at least he felt a modicum of safety there, and deep in his heart he was hoping that one day he could grow strong and be treated as an equal. As a real ninja.

The eerie routine of his life was bound to change again one fateful evening. The group was gathered together and Ayame was told to go and bring back water. He guessed that it was one of the private meetings, and picked up the urn which he carried with a horizontal piece of wood across his shoulders. On his way back he felt his turban loosening but he couldn't fix it because it was too much of a hassle putting down the large urn and then picking it up again. He hoped it wouldn't unfold before he reached the hideout. When he arrived there was no one there, and when he bent to put the urn carefully down, the turban came completely off. His hair was a little longer that chin length, and Ayame thought he'd have to cut it sometime soon. But as he went to tie his turban over his head again, a voice come from behind him;

"There is no need for that anymore boy. Since we now know who you really are, Orinami, Ayame."

Ayame's heart dropped to his stomach as he heard Orochimaru's voice. He slowly turned around.

"So the rumors were indeed true... Somebody did escape that night..."

Orochimaru shook his head in astonishment.

"I can't believe we had the solution in front of our eyes all this time!"

"What... what are you talking about...?"

"Don't worry boy, your time will come soon, and you will see what i mean."

He then started laughing his maniacal cackling laughter and turned to leave.

Ayame was left shaking from head to toe, Orochimaru scared him beyond imagination. He had seen him angry, but when he had his calculating voice on, he was even more menacing. Ayame didn't know what to do, he didn't understand what Orochimaru could possibly mean. His grandmother would tell him to run. But he didn't want to go back to that life, and more importantly, there was Itachi now, and he just didn't know what to do. He felt small, cursed and helpless.

After that, Itachi was even colder to him than before, but they all treated him in pretty much the same way and his worry eased a bit. He thought that if they wanted to kill him, they would have already done it.

One night Orochimaru returned to the hideout wanting to talk to the others. Ayame retreated, but he could feel everyone was really tense and guessing it was about something really important, he hazarded an eavesdrop. He could conceal his chakra well, he simply blended it with everything around him and his aura was indistinguishable from the auras around him. He had never dared it before, but since his 'talk' with Orochimaru he had a nagging feeing that it couldn't possibly be the end of it. And he was right, it wasn't;

Orochimaru talked about a scroll, and about a ritual, and he caught the words 'chakra', 'boy', and 'lethal'. He instantly knew they were talking about him and started panicking. Whatever they had planned for him would kill him. He tried to move but his hands and feet felt wooden in his panicked state of mind. But then he remembered his promise to his grandmother, and found the strength to move. He left quietly and when he was a safe distance away from the hideout, which was obscured but thick plantation since they were deep inside the forest, he run and run and never looked back. Tears escaped his eyes because he was sure Itachi would never forgive him. By always being loyal, Ayame was showing him gratitude for letting him follow and be around, and now he was running away once more.

_That was two years ago_ thought Ayame snapping once again to the present time.

He couldn't believe he was willingly going back there. Itachi looked so different, or maybe it was because Ayame had grown up and was seeing things in a different way. But there was a time were Itachi was his hero and Ayame wanted to believe that there was something still there, underneath the unforgiving stare. He never acted kindly towards him, or anyone for that matter, but Ayame had always believed that it wasn't his true character. Now he started to think that maybe it was. But there was nothing to be done now.

_If i return to Konoha now, people will be in danger because of me... _

He remembered back to the second task; Sakura's tear shot eyes and Uchiha...

_But no, it won't do to think about that now..._

He couldn't understand what made Uchiha react the way he did, but Ayame saw murderous intent that moment in his eyes, and he didn't want to remember his team mate as a monster, but as boy who was fair, who fought exceptionally well, who wouldn't do any favors but still respected the other, who was willing to give Ayame the time of day, who wasn't silent as people seemed to believe, but actually discreet.

_Who i could have maybe become friends with..._

Ayame felt already like missing team 7, even Naruto's stupid antics, and Sakura's sincere concern. Nobody was really ever concerned about him. And master Kakashi, who behaved weirdly sometimes, but was actually a great teacher.

_There's no point of thinking about that now though... Nobody can escape their fate..._

**  
TBC**


	13. Chapter 10

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU manner**, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ Chapter 10: lots people are doing lots of running; some are fast, some slow, some are worried, some oblivious, and some are hungry. Eventually, one of them stops running and comes up with a good idea.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes. The title is a line from an old proverb.

**Chapter 10:** And if you run, you will not stumble.

The sun was already up, and Sasuke stopped to check out his map; he didn't want to pass through the Sound village, so he would have to go around in order to reach the rocky terrain that was between the Sound and Cloud villages, and supposedly where Itachi was headed. He remembered the Sound ninjas from the chuunin exam and he would prefer not to cross the path of any of them.

Sasuke wondered if Kakashi had meant the Akatsuki when he had mentioned that they should be wary of bandits in their upcoming mission, or if there were actual bandits lurking between villages in uninhabited areas ready to hassle travelers.

_There are drawbacks_, he thought, _when traveling alone_. However, he was moving faster and he was more focused, and that was the important thing.

He had established a pattern since leaving Konoha, following the direction Itachi and the Orinami kid had taken off; even though they would probably be way further ahead and left no trace of their aura behind, he found exactly outside the village split branches from where they must have passed through. Since they wouldn't want to be seen they would have to move in that way, especially in the thickest parts of the forests so that they would be totally obscured, but if you knew where to look, it wasn't very difficult to tell from the broken branches they sometimes left behind.

However, Sasuke reasoned, they would be careful and if he couldn't guess their direction from the trees then he wouldn't have any lead and would have to eventually go to the River country and search blindly. Luck was on his side and so far he believed he was on the correct path, and that they were maybe half a day ahead of him, but he wanted to keep that distance anyway. He was good at traveling in stealth mode, and he already reasoned that if wanted any success in what he attempted to do, he'd have to do it by surprising them with a sneak attack.

----

"What's the matter Sakura-chan?"

Sakura was lagging behind for what seemed the third time that day, and Naruto turned to her worriedly.

"Nothing, i'm sorry. Come on, lets go" she said with a smile and hurried towards their teacher who was already a good distance ahead of them.

Although she had smiled, there was an edge to her voice, and Naruto couldn't help noticing how distressed she was when it came to Sasuke's wellbeing.

_I wonder if she would act like that if it was me out there on my own..._

But Naruto was also worried for his absent teammate, although he'd never openly admit it. The only time he ever really felt worried for Sasuke was when he referred to his brother and his wish to avenge the Uchiha clan. Sasuke seemed really dark then and not the moody, pensive self he always projected. In those moments Naruto saw what Sasuke was capable of doing, and he didn't like what he saw.

With one last glance at Sakura who was still behind him but now had a determined look on her face, Naruto picked up the pace.

----

_What the..._

Ayame looked behind him; all he could see was thick tree branches, and thin sun rays that had managed to pierce through. He didn't know why, but during the last hour he had an eerie sensation, like he was being watched. However, he and Itachi had been very cautious, and Itachi would surely know if they were being followed; unless something else was going on...

_If whoever might be following is still very far away Itachi wouldn't be able to feel their chakra, but i could still be able to feel their chakra signature... _

But now Ayame was puzzled because if he could feel a signature, it meant that he already knew the person following them. He tried to concentrate harder, and find that invisible sign that is unique for each ninja and constitutes his or hers chakra signature, but to no avail. Ayame dearly hoped that he was mistaken and that there was nobody on their trail because he didn't want to involve anyone in his problems. That was when he felt it; he stopped moving, closed his eyes and looked up blindly.

_Yes, that's definitely a chakra signature... but whose?_

He felt the air around him rearrange, as he tried to discern the chakra sign, and suddenly there it was in his mind; a clear image of a person...

_That idiot!_

----

"Naruto, there's no time for eating now, we have to make use of the light and keep moving until it gets dark. Then we can rest for a little while"

Naruto's stomach rumbled, and he put away the half-opened dumpling pack. He blushed apologetically, but Sakura seemed oblivious.

"Okay, sure... i wasn't that hungry anyway"

Kakashi raised one eyebrow but didn't mock his student although the kid inside him was dying to crack a joke. Naruto's stomach noises could probably be heard a mile away. But he guessed his students were already wearing off from the frantic pace they had established, and he didn't want them to expend their energy. Not even for a laugh.

_But Kami-sama knows we need some right now_ he thought seeing Sakura's sad filled eyes.

----

The sun was slowly setting and Ayame was wondering if they would stop for the night, or keep moving. Knowing Itachi, and his incredible stamina, they would probably keep moving since they were a good five full days away from the River country. He was feeling jittery, but hoped Itachi wouldn't notice. The chakra signature was now very clear to him, and it was a matter of time before Itachi would sense the other presence.

_I wonder if i could try that trick..._

When he was really young, his older brother had shown him a useful trick; Orinamis were able to blend their aura with everything else around them, but they could also cover up somebody's aura with their own, so the two auras would be indistinguishable. It made a very handy trick for two people sneaking around.

_Maybe i can blend his aura with mine, so that if he gets closer Itachi won't notice... _

Ayame hadn't used that trick since he was a child, and really hoped it would work. He focused on his own chakra form, and tried to expand it so that it would blend with Sasuke's chakra sign, so they would be one and the same for anyone able to see it.

_But it won't be of any use if he comes any closer, i've got to find a way to reach him before he does anything stupid... What is he thinking! Does he honestly have a death wish?_

He racked his brains trying to come up with an idea; It wasn't very easy since he had to follow Itachi's fast pace at the same time. His thoughts wandered back to his training days with Team 7, and Kakashi's guidance. What were the most useful techniques that he usually talked about?

_Of course! I'm so stupid!_

He stopped hoping Itachi would not turn around, focused all of his energy in order to make it perfect, and whispered;

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 11

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU manner**, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics. _Chapter 11 features a much-awaited confrontation, a fight that almost happened, a half-baked admission, and a reluctant - but interesting - desicion. Also, **new**** art** alert: a sketch of Ayame evoking chakra, and a drawing featuring a scene between Ayame and Sasuke from this very chapter. Links to the pictures can be found in my profile. As always, comments and reviews are more than welcomed.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 11: **Hide and seek.

Ayame was running though branches, not being really careful and scratching his arms and legs, but he'd have to hurry because he didn't know how long he could sustain the clone from such a distance; he had run off right after creating the clone, and the only thing that he had time to tell him was to simply follow Itachi. What if the clone did something that would give him away?

Sasuke's chakra was getting stronger now, and Ayame reasoned that he would come across him any minute now. When he passed through a particularly thick branch complex, he raised his arms to protect is face and didn't see a dark figure jumping out from of his left, tackling him to the ground. He fell hard, hitting his shoulder.

It was Sasuke who took Ayame for a bandit, but rolled off him when he realized who it was.

"What are you doing back here? Does Itachi know i'm following you?"

Ayame sat up, cradling his shoulder. Sasuke was looming over him, looking tense. Ayame didn't answer but groaned as he tried to get up.

"Tell me! Am i on the correct path? Is that the way you are headed?" He pointed to the direction Ayame had come from.

"I can't tell you. I only came here to warn you, you have to stop following us! Itachi doesn't know yet, because i used my aura to cover up your chakra sign, but if you get any closer he's bound to feel that someone is behind us."

"You don't understand, i have to find him!" Sasuke nearly yelled in exasperation this time, and his fists were curled up.

"I don't have much time to explain, because i've left a clone in my place, but you should go back!"

Sasuke lost his patience at this. He grabbed Ayame by his collar and shoved him back against a tree.

"What are you trying to do? Protect him? Do you know what he has done to my family!"

Ayame's eyes then widened in comprehension. Sasuke's grip loosened and he backed down.

"Do you mean... is he responsible for what happened to your family?"

"He killed them all when i was 8 years old, and then disappeared. I have vowed to be the one that will kill him." His expression hardened again when he looked up;

"I will avenge my clan!"

Ayame heard the determination in his resolve and offered weakly: "I can't let you through..."

"What do you mean? Did you hear what i said? He's a murderer! Whatever you think of him, it's not true! Kakashi told us who you are, whatever the Akatsuki is doing with you, it's not for your benefit, you can't be that stupid to believe that!"

"I know..." said Ayame in a small voice looking down. It was the first moment Sasuke's eyes lost that glazed shimmery look, and seemed to finally regard Ayame as a real person.

"But i still won't let you through."

"Why?" said Sasuke in an even voice, his temper was now much more calm, and he was honestly trying to understand this strange boy's motives. He couldn't possibly believe that anybody was capable of caring for a person like his older brother. It was too freaky to even try to contemplate it.

"Because i may not really know him, but i know this much: if he killed your whole family, but left you alive it wasn't out of pity; it was because he didn't think you were even worth killing. Too weak. And you are still too weak to fight him." He looked up at Sasuke challengingly even though his voice didn't have a trace of irony or mockery.

It was the last thing Sasuke expected to hear. This boy had no reason to lie, or disencourage him. He replied in the only possible way; honestly:

"Maybe not. But i still want to try. It's the only reason i trained my whole life, and now that i found him and have a chance to fight him, i won't let it go. "

"This is so stupid!"

Sasuke was really encompassed in the seriousness of the situation that he looked up incredulously at the other boy's exclamation.

Ayame was moving up and down flailing his arms, like he was frustrated, and couldn't explain what he wanted .

"If you even think you might be unable to kill him, then what is the point of confronting him now...? He's a much more experienced ninja, i've never seen anyone else fight like him! Why not wait when you've trained up to his level? Does everyone in Konoha have a death wish?"

If he wasn't so stressed out already, Sasuke would have snorted at Ayame's indignant piece which he delivered without stopping for breath.

But then Ayame stopped his flailing about, and got serious again.

"Has Kakashi told you about my family?" Sasuke nodded solemnly. "They were all killed by our villagers, not only us, but most families with bloodline traits. My grandmother helped me escape, and i've been hiding all my life since then. I want them all back so badly that sometimes i imagine myself going back to the village and destroying everyone for taking them away from me. But when i seriously sit down and think about it, i''m not sure if the time came whether i could kill somebody, let alone my own brother. I will never forgive any of them, but my father always said that while being angry can fuel you, a killer instinct will slowly poison you, and you may never reach your full potential as a ninja. My father was a great shinobi, you know... and i can't even remember him very well... and..."

Ayame stopped talking and Sasuke thought that it was because he might have started crying if he reminiscented on his family for too long. All his life he felt that nobody could understand him, his classmates, his teachers, the other villagers, simply because no one had the same experiences he had, and he carried his wounds and nurtured them with his thirst for revenge. This boy lost his family in the same way, brutal murder, at an even earlier age, and then had to hide. Sasuke never gave it a thought after Kakashi had told them about 'Martyr's Night', how Ayame actually grew up, and now he realized that despite his awful life hiding from all the world, he wasn't like himself: blood thirsty and feeling jaded from fate. Ayame wasn't resigned or weak either, he was simply silently dignified, and with a far better view of how a shinobi should be, than he was. But even as Sasuke realized that, the thought of Itachi still burned his insides.

"He scorned me and mocked me over their dead bodies. It's a matter of honour" he said harshly and Ayame looked at him nodding, understanding that all people couldn't think the way he did. But then he straightened up, and got in a fighting stance.

"Okay than, if you made up your mind to go after him, you'll have to go through me first."

If someone didn't know Ayame, they would have laughed at the scrawny boy saying grand things like that. But Sasuke had seen Ayame fight, had trained with him, and knew better than that. But he honestly didn't want to fight him. After Ayame's talk he felt deflated, and he couldn't afford to expend any of his energy if he wanted to properly measure up against Itachi.

In an exasperated but quiet voice he asked:

"Why don't you want me to find him?"

"Because he'll kill you, that's why."

----

Sasuke stood still a few moments simply staring at Ayame. Besides his teammates and Kakashi, no one else ever cared about his well being before.

_He's also my teammate now._

He understood what Ayame meant then. Sakura would say the exact same thing, Kakashi too, and even Naruto. But coming from a person he hardly knew, but who had similar experiences with him and maybe could understand him, but still wouldn't approve his need for revenge, somehow registered with Sasuke even more.

Ayame relaxed from his fighting position and looked up closing his eyes; He was trying to feel the invisible chakra line that connecting him to his clone; the line was getting really thin, meaning that Itachi was a great distance away, and he would not be able to sustain the clone any longer. It was only his ability to manipulate energy that helped him keep the clone up for so long.

He then turned to Sasuke hoping with all his might that he would consent to this,

"Listen Uchiha, i know where Itachi is headed, and i know that they are planning something that somehow involves me, so no one is safe around me" Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that. He might not be a Chuunin yet, but had always been able to protect himself when the occasion rose.

Ayame continued nevertheless "But, if you agree not to go after Itachi this time, i can tell you all i know. You can find master Kakashi, and then go to the Hokage, so he can organize a proper mission against the Akatsuki, and take them down. But don't go after him like this, it's suicide."

Ayame's voice was soft but his face showed determination. Sasuke understood that he was offering himself as bait so that Konoha ANBU forces knowing the location of the Akatsuki could create an ambush. It was pretty brave, considering that Ayame wasn't even from Konoha village. But Sasuke knew that he really was doing it so that Sasuke wouldn't be alone in facing Itachi. This boy who leaved alone for so long was actually showing true team spirit.

He thought hard, weighing the options. But now that the urgent need and anger had dissipated, Sasuke could think more clearly; he always believed in logic but everything about Itachi transformed him into a person who acted based on his will alone. He looked at Ayame and nodded, he could also show team spirit:

"Alright, I won't go after him right now. But only if you come back with me".

**  
TBC**


	15. Chapter 12

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU manner**, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics. _Chapter 12 in which Sasuke tries to be discreet, but fails twice; Ayame is crying some, but smiling more; Ino makes a passing appearence, and Naruto eats ramen. No, this chapter does have a point, a slashy-ish point i might add – but only if you wear the slash-shaped glasses, like mine. Also, new Ayame picture – link in my profile.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes. The lyrics in the title are from a song by Semisonic.

**Chapter 12:** Nobody knows it, but you've got a secret smile.

Ayame supposed that he and Itachi would probably stop the following night for a repose, which would be the perfect chance to escape. He'd create another clone to leave with Itachi and hopefully he and Sasuke would be long gone when Itachi would realize what had happened. He told Sasuke to keep following them during the next day, but stop when the evening came and wait for him. If Ayame didn't appear 'til nightfall it meant that he and Itachi didn't make a stop, so Sasuke would have to keep following them until they would camp out to rest.

Sasuke tried to stay a little further behind them so that he wouldn't risk getting noticed. When the dusk arrived, he slowed down and tried to find a good spot to wait for Ayame. He jumped on the ground and stood against a tree obscured by shadows. If Ayame didn't come tonight he'd have to make double the effort to catch up with them, to make up for the hours he spent waiting.

He stood for an hour in the stillness of the night, and just as he started relaxing, there was a ruffling noise like leaves stirring. Sasuke turned abruptly and saw Ayame who had emerged from a bush and was now looking at him.

"Did he suspect anything?"

Ayame nodded negatively grinning, and then explained to Sasuke how he had made it;

Initially, he was afraid that Itachi wouldn't stop for a repose, and then the plan would be ruined, but eventually they stopped in an obscured part of the forest for a couple of hours sleep. He had to be absolutely quiet when creating the clone, but had an idea: he went to pee near a tree, and when he returned, it was the clone and not himself. He had hidden behind the tree, blending his chakra with everything around him, and when Itachi and the clone had fallen asleep, he left taking the way back.

Ayame finished talking and looked at Sasuke triumphantly who had to admit it was a plan well executed.

"We have to hurry though because i don't know how long i can keep the clone up, and the further we get the harder it will be."

Sasuke nodded and got ready to jump up on a tree.

"Hang on for a second, i need to do something first' Sasuke raised his eyebrows questioningly. Ayame closed his eyes, and then Sasuke felt a wave of energy surrounding him, it was the most peculiar thing, and he knew right away that it was Ayame's technique.

"I blended our chakra other things around us, so from a distance we are undetected."

"What do you usually blend your chakra with?" Sasuke asked intrigued; this technique, although not immediately practical in battle, was very useful.

"Air."

"And mine?"

"Earth."

Sasuke didn't reply but he felt a weird tagging, as if there was indeed something connecting him to the ground.

"Come on, follow me, we have to keep a very fast pace"

Sasuke looked at him with a 'are you daft?' expression;

"You don't know the way Kakashi and the others said they'd take, I'm the one who know's were we're headed"

The other boy then scratched his head sheepishly, and Sasuke was tempted to laugh at him.

The reasoned that Kakashi would follow a similar route to Sasuke's, and would probably be three days behind them, so if they kept going backwards, they would reach them midway in one day and a half. The two boys didn't talk much since they had to keep a vary fast pace and talking expended energy, but Sasuke would sometimes point marks, and Ayame would help him in tracking.

It was strange, but sometimes Ayame almost forgot their serious purpose, and felt like they were on an adventure, not in a life and death situation. He last had an adventure when his father took him fishing, and frankly he never had an actual childhood adventure, but now with Sasuke it felt like one.

Sasuke on his part, wasn't entirely sure he made the corect choice and didn't go after Itachi alone. But something deep down told him that Ayame might be right, and that he wasn't yet ready to fight his big brother. Besides, Ayame was risking his neck escaping from the Akatsuki once more just to help Konoha, and maybe to turn Sasuke away from Itachi. He glanced at Ayame then; the other boy was concentrated at avoiding wood splinters - it was almost as if he was sliding past the branches, and then suddenly asked, his voice hitched by the speed in which they were moving:

"Why are you still wearing the turban? I know who you are now, so it doesn't matter. Besides, isn't it uncomfortable?"

Ayame turned to look at him slowing down. He had a thoughtful expression as he stopped running, and Sasuke had to stop too. Ayame tugged strongly at the turban, and it started slowly falling off revealing his read hair that shone brilliantly in the thin rays that pricked through the leaves and made all the dark green around them more vivid. A delighted grin started slowly spreading on his face, and Sasuke couldn't fathom why a person could be happy from such a simple thing, but then he remembered what Ayame said about simple things during that picnic, and offered him a nod and a smile in return. It was rare to see Uchiha smile, and Ayame stood just looking at him for a while, before tucking his turban in his pocket. Then he turned and they started running again.

----

They met up with team 7 earlier than they expected. When Ayame and Sasuke appeared out of nowhere, there was a brief moment of confusion; team 7 thought they were attackers and immediately started on them, but when they realized who they were, Sakura was delighted, and hugged Sasuke nearly chocking him in the process. Naruto was a bit put off by this, but greeted them with a grin, as Kakashi patted Ayame's back.

Sasuke and Ayame took some time to explained to the others what had happened, and their teacher actually said he was proud of them for making a good choice. Ayame of course had to reintroduce himself as 'Orinami Ayame' to Naruto and Sakura, but kept the turban on because he didn't want risking being seen by anyone else.

----

Team 7 was waiting outside the Hokage's private office for Ayame and their teacher who had gone to explain the events of the past few days. They emerged an hour later, and Kakashi explained that Sandaime would hold a meeting with all the senior shinobis, including himself, and ANBU members, so they should go home and and take a well-deserved rest.

"Oh, and Naruto" said Kakashi with a wink, before he popped back inside, "Iruka-sensei said if you wait for a while, he'll come and take you for ramen".

Naruto beamed at this, nothing was better that Ichikaru's ramen when returning home from a mission.

"Great! And i was so hungry!"

"Naruto, you're always hungry" said Sakura rolling her eyes.

"Hey, do you guys want to come as well?"

Sakura nodded negatively "I've got to go home, they'll be worried."

Sasuke also said he'd be going home, and Ayame declined as well.

Naruto mumbled something that sounded conspicuously like 'more for me', folded his arms and rested against a pillar.

----

Sasuke didn't go home straight away, he passed by the healer to get some bandages and disinfectant for some deep scratches, and it was already nightfall by the time he made his way back. It was strange being back at Konoha again; he'd thought that when he'd return (if he returned) it would be after his battle with Itachi, and everything of course would be different.

He saw a figure cross quickly the road ahead of him. It was really dark and Sasuke couldn't tell if it was a Leaf resident, but the sight of something on his head gave him away.

_Where could he be going at this hour? Is he running away again!_

Come to think of it, it had never occurred to Sasuke where Ayame might be staying while in Konoha. His curiosity got the better of him and he followed, only to make sure that the other boy wasn't running away again. But he knew Ayame would sense him right away, so he tried something that he wanted to try for a long time; the Uchiha clan was known for their increased chakra energy, so Sasuke thought that maybe he could make it work. He focused really hard and tried to dissolve his energy with everything around him, like Ayame did. After a while he felt really light, as if he was floating rather than walking, but simultaneously had a heightened sense of connection with every object in his vicinity.

Ayame seemed to be going towards the river, to the same place where they had that damned picnic. Sasuke couldn't understand why Ayame would be going back there again. He hid behind some bushes and started observing the other boy; Ayame it seemed, had no intention of running away again. He sat down in the river bank with his head on his knees gazing at the horizon. Everything was jet black around them, and the only light was the reflection of the moonlight on the water. Sasuke then saw Ayame's shoulders shaking slightly and heard a sniffle.

_Is he... crying!_

After a few moments of Ayame weeping quietly in the dead of the night, he wiped his eyes with his forearm and raised his head from his knees, staying completely still.

"I can sense you, you know"

Sasuke almost leaped at this. He didn't know if he should make a run for it, but he knew it'd be pointless if he pretended he didn't see anything. He cursed himself for thinking the concealment would work from such a short distance - it wasn't like he possessed Ayame's technique, and came out from behind the bushes.

"I... I'm sorry. I'll go now..." He turned to leave but Ayame stopped him. He gave Sasuke a crooked grin, and said:

"Come sit down, it's great out here tonight"

He looked really young and childish, and Sasuke thought it'd be rude to say no after what he had seen, so he went and stood awkwardly next to Ayame, who got up too. They both stared at the river for a few moments.

Ayame suddenly spoke, breaking the fragile quietness.

"I don't really..." _cry_ he wanted to say but he was sure Uchiha would get the point.

"...and i can still beat you up in a fight anytime" Sasuke looked at him with an expression like he was trying not to laugh.

"What?" said Ayame in mock indignation.

"No, it's just that this is something Naruto would probably say"

Ayame laughed "No, no, Naruto is more like this..." he then rose to the ball of his feet, curled his fists and glared at Sasuke "You, bastard!"

Sasuke actually laughed at this, the impersonation was nearly perfect

"And Sakura-chan is more like this..." continued Ayame, and interlaced his fingers bringing them close to his face and batted his eyelashes at Sasuke "Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke blushed, his eyebrow twitching and turned at the river, Ayame laughing at him. It was exactly how Sakura acted and it was really embarrassing sometimes. He rolled his eyes at Ayame who was still laughing and without really thinking about it, poked him on the forehead,

"Hey!"

"You deserved it." Sasuke then had a brief flashback to his brother doing the same thing years ago, but didn't dwell on it. and pushed the thought out of his mind. Maybe he was getting better at controlling his anger when it came to Itachi... or maybe it was the influence of the stupid boy who was grinning beside him like a lunatic, but, oh...

Ayame had stop grinning and was softly smiling at him. Sasuke was perplexed; they were these one or two moments where they'd just smile at each other in the general feel-goodness of the situation - 'picnic' flashed at Sasuke's head - but they were getting more often, and even though Sasuke thought it was silly and embarrassing, not to mention ridiculous, he couldn't help but smile back. Ayame's grin was contagious.

He rolled his eyes and like every time, he smiled back nevertheless.

----

A rustling sound rose Sasuke out of sleep. His body was aching all over, and he felt hard ground underneath him. He was still by the river.

_Oh, damn, i must have fallen asleep here..._ He turned, the rustling should came from Ayame who was twisting in his sleep. Sasuke made a grimace at the thought of falling asleep stargazing. Ayame turned again, he seemed to be having a really fitful sleep, and at closer inspection, Sasuke saw small beads of sweat on his forehead.

_He must be having a bad dream or something_

But Ayame was now mumbling something:

"Oba-chan no, i want to go to my mama and my papa...!"

Sasuke flinched. The boy was probably having a dream about his family; He felt once more like he was prying on a private moment and stood quietly to go. But then Ayame woke up with a start. He blinked a couple of times, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He seemed to recall something and turned. Seeing Sasuke up, he nodded:

"Good morning"

Sasuke nodded as well. Maybe Ayame didn't remember his dream, or maybe he didn't want to show that he just had a nightmare. Sasuke wasn't going to push the matter anyway.

----

On the way back to the Uchiha residence, Sasuke thought that he had never fallen asleep somewhere unaware, and so open.

He always had a different time with Ayame than when he was with anybody else. At first he thought it was because Ayame could sort of understand his past, and didn't give it further thought, but suddenly he realized it was because Ayame didn't regard him as Sasuke the heir of the Uchiha clan, but rather like what he was; another boy. Maybe it was because Ayame hadn't grown up in Konoha with all the assumptions everybody else made for him; the best academy student, the heir of the most powerful clan, one of the few masters of the sharingan, the avenger of his family, an obnoxious socially withdrawn boy... or maybe because Ayame saw differently on people because of his peculiar upbringing alone. He returned to his house after that weird night as the sun rose and thought:

_Does this means we are friends?_

----

Sasuke hated going to the village often, but he needed new supplies, and had no idea when Kakashi would call them for the mission. As he walked down the central market street, he saw a familiar figure talking with Ino outside her family's flower shop. He supposed that Ino knew Ayame from the Chuunin examination, and tried to pass unnoticed but thankfully her back was turned to him.

Ayame had spotted him however, and flashed him a small smile, and then resumed his talking with Ino, who thankfully didn't notice. He had smiled, not scowl like Naruto, or wave enthusiastically like Sakura. Sasuke was almost ready to nod but then the moment had passed and he continued his walking. There was certainly something different about Ayame and his interactions with other people, and even though Sasuke wasn't the one who spent all those years in isolation, he was definitely the more socially dysfunctional from the two. Sasuke shook his head and kept walking, he hated spending time analyzing, or over thinking stupid things.

After a couple of minutes he heard running footsteps behind him, it was Ayame who was trying to catch up.

"Hey, i wanted to tell you something about yesterday"

Sasuke became alarmed, he hoped Ayame wouldn't bring up the eavesdropping.

"It was a good attempt, what you did with your chakra, and though you'll never be able to do it like me, there are ways to improve yourself"

He didn't sound boastful, rather like he was really offering generous advice, and Sasuke lowered his eyebrow.

"You tried to blend your chakra with everything, that's why it didn't' work. The best thing to do is to find the element that most befits you. Like for example air is mine. I think yours is earth"

Sasuke nodded understanding. He remembered back to when Ayame had performed the trick on him, and he tugging to the ground he had felt. Maybe he was right.

"Thanks, I'll remember that if i use it again."

Ayame shook his head in satisfaction, and turned to leave.

_I don't know why, but there is something about him like no one else. _

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 13

**Title: **The path that leads to light.  
**Author: **samurai-champloo  
**Genre: **Drama, Romance, Bad!fic  
**Rating: **R  
**Summary:** A mysterious newcomer appears in the Konoha village.  
**Warnings: **The story will eventually contain **slash**, so if it bothers you, kindly do not proceed reading. It also features a **male original character**, and generally a lot of **out-of-character-ness **of the 'Naruto' cast. More importantly, the fic does not follow the original storyline of the manga or anime series; that's because i have seen a few episodes, and read only up to the fourth manga book. Hence, my story begins from just before the Chuunin examination, where Lee fights Gaara (instead of Sasuke like in the anime), and proceeds in a completely **AU **maner, sometimes incorporating elements of the anime storyline, but most of the time being in a completely different setting altogether.  
**Author's notes: **This is my first attempt at fanfiction; after reading so many stories i decided to give something back. It has not been beta'd so proceed at your own risk... :) Thoughts are indicated in _italics._ This chapter is long overdue, but i hope it's worth the wait.  
**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns everything Naruto. I am simply borrowing the characters for a while, for my own devious purposes.

**Chapter 13: **The path that leads to light

The Akatsuki were probably aware by now of Ayame's disappearance and would be looking for him. Konoha's ANBU forces were planning to find them first in a sneak attack that would take them by surprise. All the best juunins were chosen for the S class mission, including Kakashi. Team 7 wanted to go but it was out of the question, the situation had gotten very dangerous, and the Hokage was worried about the true motives of the criminals, which were still obscure. Ayame, however, wouldn't hear it; if he stayed in the Leaf village, he might leer one of the Akatsuki members there, and without the most of the ANBU ninjas there, the citizens would be in danger. He wanted to go off first both as a bait, and to take the upcoming battle as far away from populated areas as possible. But if Ayame would leave off to join the mission, Sasuke was adamant that he'd go with him. He still had to face his brother, and that was their deal after all. After a long debate it was finally agreed that Sasuke and Ayame would move right in front of the ANBU forces, which would follow in a close distant, in order to trick the Akatsuki into thinking the two boys were alone, and thus creating an ambush.

Naruto had whined, and whined, nearly yelling his lungs out at everyone, but he and Sakura were not included in the mission. Except Sasuke and Ayame, the group was constituted by juunins only, and that was what probably made Naruto even angrier. His 'but it's not faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaair!' cries could be heard from one side of the village to the other, but the Hokage was relentless in his decision, and special Iruka-ramen intervention was headed, but Naruto would not be consoled.

Sakura was glad on the one hand that she wouldn't be joining because the last few days had bore on her nerves, and she was exhausted. But on the other hand she was worried about Sasuke and Ayame, and although she and Naruto were far less skilled than any juunin, she still believed that they worked better together than any group, and that removed from that 'bubble' any of the three was bare and unprotected.

_Thank God master Kakashi will also be there. And poor Ayame... it seems that he'll never be able to stop running and settle down somewhere... what kind of life could that be...?_

Sakura was looking out her window. It was almost midnight, and as far as she knew the group would set off tonight. Naruto was under the strict supervision of Iruka -sensei because it wouldn't be unlike him to run off and follow the ANBU juunins.

_Honestly, that boy has no sense in him... _

But inner Sakura secretly also wanted to run off and join too, just to keep an eye on her dear Sasuke, but she very well knew that she was out of her league. Naruto, however, would never admit that. She smiled at that, and with a last look at the sky she wished with all her heart that Sasuke and Ayame would return safe and sound.

----

"You shouldn't have come with me. You could follow with the ANBU, it would be safer this way"

"You don't think I can beat him, do you?"

"He might not be alone. And if they are all looking for me, and something goes wrong and the ANBU don't come here in time, they won't spare you, don't you get that?"

"Seriousy, why do you worry about that so much?"

"Wouldn't you? If you were the reason that a teammate died, I mean?"

Sasuke didn't answer and kept trekking, he and Ayame were told to follow the same path as before, in hopes that the Akatsuki were coming straight to Konoha, so that they'd meet the midway. The ANBU forces were following in stealth mode a little way back, and Sasuke and Ayame were advised to be mostly in the open, but not so much as to look suspicious, because after all they were trying to make it seem that were trying to avoid the Akatsuki, not fall on them deliberately, so that they sneak attack would be more effective.

Ayame and Sasuke had hardly spoken with eachother the last few days of the preparations. They had attended a plan session were the mission was laid out, but it was obvious that most of the juunins were not happy that they would be joining. It was too dangerous but there was no other way that would guarantee they'd find the Akatsuki, because if they didn't run across them, only Ayame knew precisely the location of the hideout; so in case the Akatsuki were not yet out on the lookout for Ayame but still in their base, planning their next move, the ANBU could plan the sneak attack there. Most of them were hoping for this outcome.

A coupe of hours after the sun had set, they had to stop for a couple hours of rest. It was planned like that so it would seem they were indeed traveling. They ANBU forces behind them would also stop so as to keep their distance. They laid down near tree roots, and they were effectively concealed by the shadows cast by the branches. Neither was tired and the anticipation of what was about to happen bore on their nerves so neither was really able to sleep, and they soon started talking. Ayame asked Sasuke about the hitai-ate, and pointed out that even though Itachi had left Konoha, he still wore his, albeit with a line slashed across it. Sasuke wasn't really comfortable talking about that, but he explained nevertheless what the line represented, and then Ayame tried to change the subject to something irrelevant to Itachi or Sasuke's family.

"I wish i had gone to the academy. At least i would be able to read and write"

"What? You mean you don't know how?" Sasuke said barely concealing his surprise.

Ayame though didn't seem embarrassed, after all it wasn't because of his unwillingness that he never went to the academy.

"No, not really, except my own name"

"There are many symbols, but if you learn them in order, it's not very hard. For example this is one" he said and proceeded to draw with his finger on the dirt, the Kanji symbol for 'one'.

"And if you draw another line like this, it becomes 'two'. Most symbols bear on simpler ones, that's why they have to be learned in order"

Ayame copied Sasuke's movement's and when he finished he sighed,

"It must have been fun going to school with Naruto and Sakura-chan and learning things..."

"Well, learning was nice, Iruka-sensei is a very competent teacher. But being in the same class with Naruto was hindering to everyone's learning process. He was being an idiot, played pranks on a daily basis and ruined the class a number of times." Sasuke said with a dismissive look, but Ayame chuckled

"He couldn't have been that bad... besides i know why you don't really like him. Sakura-chan told me all about him stealing your first kiss at the academy" Ayame was fully grinning by now, and Sasuke turned away in indignation and embarrassment. He 'hnned' and explained that it was certainly an accident and that he doesn't count it as a real kiss, because a kiss should definitely feel different. Ayame them jumped in to tease him some more

"Kami sama, I would never take you for a romantic Uchiha!"

Sasuke's eyebrows twitched and a small vein started palpitating on his forehead, and he turned yet once more on the other side. Ayame was tempted to laugh out loud, few were the times where he could see Uchiha unsettled, and right now he was such a funny sight. He didn't however, knowing how proud Sasuke was, and tried to make amends

"I was joking, i didn't mean to make fun of you. Here show me how you write your name"

Sasuke turned reluctantly but there was still 'grouch' written all over his face. He wrote his name on the dirt nevertheless, but when Ayame tried to copy it and failed because he wasn't putting the lines in order, he lost his patience and grabbed his hand to show him. At some point Sasuke realized the intimacy of the gesture and felt surprised because he was certainly not the touchy-feelly type, but he didn't let go until Ayame had got it. Ayame smiled at his messy scribbling and they stayed still, simply looking at eachother. Sasuke felt his chest expanding not knowing why. Ayame then pointed at something in the trees but he didn't hear because he caught sight of the scars on Ayame's inner forearm and realized that they must have been very deep if they were visible after all this time. He took the other boy's hand impulsively again, and Ayame turned sharply.

"I didn't realize what was going on at the time, sorry"

"What? Oh these... Don't worry, i know, and they are almost gone now"

"What did you do exactly?"

"It's chakra healing. My mom used to do it to me everytime i got sick. Some healers also practice it, but it expends a great amount of energy. You have to be very well trained and even then it's draining. For me it's a bit simpler, but i think that i had fainted afterwards"

"I think i might remember it. I mean you performing that"

"You opened your eyes for a moment, but i didn't think you were conscious"

"I saw you but i didn't know what was happening, i only felt warm"

"It was because of the energy flow, here i'll show you. It won't be the same because your chakra level is fine now, but we could still try this"

He then raised his hand opening his palm outwards and asked Sasuke to do the same and concentrate all of his energy to his hand. Ayame closed his eyes, their palms were opposite eachother and soon a blue-white light emanated from Ayame's palm and blended with Sasuke's energy, it was like interchanging their chakra, and warmness surrounded their hands. Sasuke had a flashback to the time during the chuunin exam, and realized that performing this to an unconscious person must have been extremely weary for Ayame, but he nevertheless did it for a stranger, although in retrospect Sasuke understood that Ayame did it because he probably felt responsible since Orochimaru was there that day because of him. He felt the same warm glow and something he couldn't remember feeling for a long time; happiness. Once again his chest expanded, and when Ayame ceased his chakra they were left looking at eachother in awe. It was strange but the only thing Sasuke knew at that moment was that if he turned away something inside him would definitely break and he might never recover. He moved an inch closer, Ayame looked up but didn't seem to mind. Sasuke then stopped but Ayame moved too, and they didn't know what to do but only one thing seemed natural; they moved at the same time, their lips almost touched, and they stayed still, their breaths intermingling. After a few moments which felt like eternity, they moved again and their lips went over eachother in a slow, tentative exploration. Sasuke could feel his heart throbbing inside his throat, and it felt delicious. He wanted to touch Ayame's hair and he did it before the thought had even properly formulated.

Ayame didn't know if this was kissing, this sliding of lips on lips, the breathlessness, and the buzzing in his ears, but whatever it was it felt good, and he wondered why he had never tried it before. His dazed thinking ceased when he realized that Sasuke was pulling away. He was looking at him with a critical eye although he had a bit of a glazed look so the effect was ruined. Ayame started feeling nervous. He could understand now why so many people found Sasuke chilling and distant. Sasuke wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and without another glance at Ayame, he stood up and started walking.

"We have to keep moving, we rested enough."

Ayame nodded even though Sasuke couldn't see him, and although he didn't understand, he also started walking. For a reason he couldn't quite fathom he wanted to cry.

----

At dawn their pace started growing faster in order to make most of the emerging light. Neither spoke, but Ayame would sometimes turn to look at Sasuke, who had a steely, cold expression. The previous night seemed far away, as if it had happened in a dream. At some point Ayame thought he heard something so he stopped to check it out. It seemed like it was coming from the trees. Sasuke stopped too trying to figure out what was going on. Ayame nodded with his hand for him to be quiet, and he looked up at the trees. Everything was peaceful except for the regular forest sounds. But Ayame still felt a bit edgy. He touched Sasuke's shoulders to make him look up at a particular direction, but Sasuke flinched away from him and said out loud before turning to go

"There's nothing there, you are losing time"

It was then when three masked men came flying out of the trees. The boys turned around sharply, Ayame hastily made a shield of chakra in front of them, but his reaction was a fracture delayed; One of the men knocked Sasuke out, and the other went straight for Ayame in superhuman speed, biting him on the neck. Ayame fell promptly unconscious. They picked him up, and went as quietly as they had come, leaving an unaware Sasuke behind.

**  
TBC**


End file.
